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It was a surprise for many when Chinese government encouraged developing the lush foothills in Tibet to grow vines and start producing wine. They have beenworking hard to find means to tame the harsh climate of various growing regions, with an objective to not only become the world leader in quantity but also quality. They have now set their sights in the outer space and sent Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Pinot Noir vines into space on their newest Space Lab Tiangong -2 that blasted off on September 15.
According to DecanterChina.com, Chinese scientists hope that growing vine 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, writes Guardian. Freezing temperatures and unfavourable soil condition are among the most serious challenges facing wine producers in places such as Ningxia, an impoverished region at the heart of China’s nascent wine industry with winters at -25° C temperature.
The vines were sourced from a nursery near the Helan Mountain East in Nigxia, referred to by the locals as Bordeaux of China. After returning to earth the samples will undergo tests and be compared to other vines in order to find the ‘most suitable mutation’.
China’s rapid economic rise has transformed it into one of the top wine producers in the world. They drink more red wine than any other country and have more vineyards than France, spread all over-from the frosty north-eastern province of Liaoning to the scorching deserts of Xinjiang. A relative new region near Beijing is already making waves with the wines finding positive comments from China’s first Master of Wine Fongyee Walker. The wineries in the Fangshang district near Beijing are already making excellent wines.
The quest for excellence in wines in China or India should send a wake-up call to Indian authorities to fall in line and start taking innovative steps to help produce better quality wines if we want India to be globally competitive in the field of wine which is relatively new for both countries, in terms of quality and wine grapes used in the two countries. If ‘Make in India’ programme encouraged by the Prime Minister Modi has to succeed in the areas of wines, innovations and being pro-active would be required-not reaction and regressive steps.
Subhash Arora
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