Publisher, showing as much sympathy as I’ve ever seen from him; and more money, as he gave me fifty rand and suggested I get “a few bottles” to conduct my own experiment.

The fifty rand paid for coffee and a call to Avondale’s Johnathan Grieve who graciously agreed to an interview to answer some of the questions raised by the press release.

Turns out the seven panellists tasted the same Avondale wines (but from freshly opened bottles each time) over the course of four tastings, that spanned eleven days and each of the cycles within the lunar calendar: fruit, root, flower and leaf. They were not told which cycle they were in at any given tasting and simply got to drink the wines and share their thoughts on scent and flavour.

Most telling was the feedback that the panellists, despite being a rather diverse group, were all in agreement as to the dominant characteristics at each tasting.

According to Johnathan the ‘fruit tasting’ cycle was a hit and the fruit notes were described by panellists as “almost overpowering”. The ‘leaf tasting’ left the wines “less sweet, with a dominant minerality,” and many of the panellists found it hard to believe that they were tasting the same wines (and that just a couple of days after having conducted the ‘fruit tasting’).

The ‘root tasting’ cycle turned out to be the “worst of the lot” said Johnathan – not that the wines tasted bad, it was just that by comparison they really came across as subdued and closed and in the words of the panel, the wines had “gone to sleep”.

By contrast the ‘flower tasting’ day was characterised by terms such as “expressive”, “elegant” and “more structured with a fresh, fuller-bodied character.” Johnathan’s advice is simple, choose your wine carefully and, where possible, opt for a fruit or flower day to really enjoy the wine. And if you’re going to drink on a root day, choose a wine with enough depth of flavour and complexity to ensure that the experience isn’t one you’ll regret.

Given that I’m sold on the idea of biodynamic farming, the thought of the cosmos having an impact on the intrinsic flavours in wine doesn’t scare me, but it is still a new-enough concept to leave me feeling a little bemused and curious. To test the idea that wine tastes different on different days within the lunar cycle I got Johnathan to give me four dates of my own, but not to share the nature of the days and promised to share my experience in The Month, should there be any merit - and here it is! See table below for the results.

Wine: Pax Verbatim Blazing Hill Syrah 2008 According to SAWinesOnline.co.uk: “This wine offers subtle and perfumed aromas of coffee, mocha and spice. On the palate, an exquisitely balanced, soft and silky texture belies a wine with deceiving yet tremendous depth. Structured, yet deliciously smooth, the senses are treated to flavours reminiscent of black berries, loganberries, and wild plum.”
Date	18th June	20th June	22nd June	23rd June
Cycle	Root	Flower	Leaf	Fruit
Selected comments	Hints of dark fruit and greenish notes on the nose; metallic components on the palate	More intense flavours and fruit on the nose; orange peel flavours; wine went very well with food	Forest floor on the nose; hints of spice and subtle fruit flavours; firm tannin and hints of pepper	Lots of ripe fruit on the nose; well-balanced with good structure; not dry
Rating	Most enjoyable	Not great	Really didn’t enjoy	Good
Verdict	Without labelling the wine ‘good’ or ‘bad’, the panel – which included knowledgeable and less-knowledgeable members - felt that the wine certainly showed different components over the week that suggested some correlation with the concept of the Luna Tasting and that more hands-on investigation is in order…