Trust China to do things differently. China’s space lab, Tiangong-2, has sent out a selection of cabernet sauvignon, merlot and pinot noir vines, wait for it, in outer space. Freezing temperatures and unfavourable soil are a few problems that wine producers in China are currently facing. DecanterChina.com, a bilingual website about the local wine industry reported, “Chinese scientists hope that growing wine in space will trigger mutations in the vines that may make them more suitable for the harsh climate in some of the China’s emerging vineyard regions.”
The website added that the researchers are hoping that exposure to space radiation will trigger genetic changes in the vines which will cause it to “evolve resistance to coldness, drought and viruses.” Once the samples return to earth, researchers will carry tests to understand the most “suitable mutation” for the vine.
