Will a Fruit Day Make My Wine Taste Better?

Written by Madeline Puckette

The lunar calendar has been used in farming for centuries, but recently people have noted the moon’s effect on wine tasting.

According to the lunar calendar, “fruit days” are the most auspicious days to drink wine.

Does the moon really affect how good a bottled wine tastes? Is this wine tasting trick the reason why the same bottle sometimes doesn’t taste as good the next time you open it?

Fruit Day Root Day - Lunar Calendar and Wine Tasting - Wine Folly


According to the lunar calendar, “fruit days” are the most auspicious days to drink wine.

We’ve been testing this theory casually for about 8 years. And as science-and-logic loving geeks, we’ve been trying to stamp out this superstitious lunar calendar BS for quite some time.

However, for some beyond-logical reason, red wine does seem to taste better on a “fruit day.” White aromatic wines really seem to sing on a “flower day.” So if you’re about to pop that vintage Bordeaux you’ve been waiting to open for years, you should read this first.
 
Drinking wine on a fruit day - biodynamic calendar

The Lunar Calendar and Wine

Fruit Day vs. Root Day The idea behind root days, fruit days, leaf days, and flower days was inspired by Rudolf Steiner, an Austrian philosopher who defined biodynamic farming for the 20th century. However, the focus on the moon and how it affects life on earth goes back farther than that: 1st century Roman naturalist Pliny the Elder said the moon “replenishes the earth; when she approaches it, she fills all bodies, while, when she recedes, she empties them.”

Is Today a Fruit Day? Find out on this nifty Biodynamic Calendar.

 

Root Day per the lunar calendar for wine tasting
 

Root Day

Root days are when the moon is in any of the Earth Signs, such as Capricorn, Taurus, and Virgo. If you follow the lunar calendar for wine tasting, root days are not good days to enjoy wine.

Flower Day is a good day for wine tasting
 

Flower Day

Flower days are when the moon is in any of the Air Signs, like Gemini, Libra, and Aquarius. Flower days are recommended for enjoying aromatic wines, such as Viognier or Torrontes.

Leaf Day per the lunar calendar is not a good day for wine tasting
 

Leaf Day

Leaf days are when the moon is in any of the Water Signs, such as Cancer, Scorpio, and Pisces. Leaf days are days when the plant is focused on producing chlorophyll, and are generally not recommended for enjoying wine.

Fruit Day is Ideal for Wine Tasting
 

Fruit Day

Fruit days are when the moon is in any of the Fire Signs, such as Aires, Leo, and Sagittarius. Fruit days are the most optimal wine tasting days.


Who Else Uses the Lunar Calendar?

The lunar calendar is commonly used for gardening and harvesting practices. In fact, the Old Farmer’s Almanac uses the very same lunar calendar to recommend planting schedules.
 
If you believe that wine is a living thing then it stands to reason it’s affected by the moon just as much as other living things.

fruit-day-root-day-harvesting
 

The Stranger Side of Biodynamic Farming

We found this picture from Backyard Biodynamics and correlated it with the fruit day/root day theory to show you how it works. Since radishes are a root, they should be the best on root days.

Learn more about Biodynamic Wine.


Written byMadeline Puckette

James Beard Award-winning author and Wine Communicator of the Year. I co-founded Wine Folly to help people learn about wine. @WineFolly