Earth · Poor for wine
Root days: save the good stuff
A root day falls when the Moon is in an earth constellation: Taurus, Virgo or Capricorn. Biodynamic growers plant and tend root crops and work the soil on these days. For wine they are the least favorable of the four day types.
Next root days
- Thu, Oct 8 10:19 PM → Mon 7:13 AMlasts 3d 8h
- Mon, Oct 19 1:46 AM → Wed 2:51 AMlasts 2d 1h
- Tue, Oct 27 2:53 PM → Fri 2:56 AMPaused Wed 12:02 PM – Thu 12:02 AM for the moon's perigeelasts 2d 12h
- Thu, Nov 5 4:36 AM → Sun 2:40 PMlasts 3d 10h
- Sun, Nov 15 9:31 AM → Tue 5:53 PMPaused Tue 5:46 AM – Tue 5:46 PM for the ascending lunar nodelasts 2d 8h
Times are in your time zone.
How wine tastes on a root day
On root days wines are said to taste closed and earthy: tannins tighten, fruit hides and the finish can feel short. If a bottle disappoints on a root day, biodynamic tasters will tell you to try it again on a fruit day before writing it off.
What to open
- Nothing precious, if you can wait
- Sturdy, earthy styles that don't rely on fruit
- If you must open something good, give it air and time in a decanter
Root days in the vineyard
Root days are used for soil work, composting and planting root crops. The idea comes from biodynamic farming, which links each of the four classical elements to one part of the plant: fire to fruit, air to flower, water to leaf and earth to root.
| Element | Constellations | Day type | For wine |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fire | Aries, Leo, Sagittarius | Fruit | Best for wine |
| Air | Gemini, Libra, Aquarius | Flower | Good for wine |
| Water | Cancer, Scorpio, Pisces | Leaf | Not ideal |
| Earth | Taurus, Virgo, Capricorn | Root | Poor for wine |
Because the constellations are different sizes, root days don't come in neat blocks. The Moon returns to the same element roughly every nine days. How the calendar is calculated.
Questions
Is today a root day?
See the live answer on the today page, or the upcoming dates above. Moonvine can alert you whenever a root day begins.
Why is wine worse on root days?
Biodynamic tradition links earth constellations with roots and minerals rather than fruit, so wines are expected to show less fruit and more structure. A controlled study found no measurable difference, so judge for yourself.
Which constellations make a root day?
The three earth constellations: Taurus, Virgo and Capricorn. Virgo is the largest zodiac constellation, so the Virgo root period is often the longest of the month.
