(VinePair) - The “natural wine” trend has swept the food and wine industry, and lifestyle publications from Vogue to Playboy are covering the phenomenon. The benefits for small wineries have been huge; but, unfortunately, most of the conversations surrounding natural wine neglect its most important component: farming responsibly.

Biodynamics, the method of farming preferred in the natural wine world, is a set of agricultural practices that can range from pragmatic to dogmatic. The concept dates to 1924, when Austrian philosopher Rudolf Steiner proposed that farmers abandon the chemicals and machinery they were using in their vineyards after World War I, and return to older methods.