San Lorenzo wine, available at Harrods

Going one step further than the organic variety, biodynamic wine is based on Rudolf Steiner’s philosophy of anthroposophy; that the holistic development of the ground is affected by astrology.

Some of the more bizarre elements include filling a cow horn with manure and burying it in the ground to decompose in autumn, then sprinkling it over the crop the following spring.

Biodynamic winemakers have also reported an improvement in their crops by placing oak bark inside the skull of a domesticated animal and burying it in a wet area of ground near the crop. The aim is to synchronise the life forces surrounding the crop to deliver the finest wine possible. Alistair Viner, wine and spirit buyer for Harrods, recommends this biodynamic San Lorenzo, 1991 (£95), ready to drink now or keep until 2015.