--- description: China has launched a cache of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Pinot Noir vines into space in an experiment to yield a sturdier plant title: China Sends Vines Into Space in Bid to Create Heavenly Wine image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt7d7894c5af77d9eb/6988a7102dce01e8559eabfa/gettyimages-605941636.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [World](/section/world/) ## World Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # China Sends Vines Into Space in a Bid to Create Some Heavenly Wine by [Tekendra Parmar](/author/tekendra-parmar/) ## Tekendra Parmar Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Sep 22, 2016 8:38 AM CUT  The Tiangong-2 space laboratory blasts off from Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center on September 15, 2016 in Jiuquan, Gansu Province of China. The Tiangong-2 space laboratory blasts off from Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center on September 15, 2016 in Jiuquan, Gansu Province of China.VCG via Getty Images by [Tekendra Parmar](/author/tekendra-parmar/) ## Tekendra Parmar Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Sep 22, 2016 8:38 AM CUT China launched a cache of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Pinot Noir vines into space on the orbiting Tiangong-2 lab during this year’s Mid-Autumn Festival on Sept. 15, in an experiment that hopes to yield a sturdier plant by exposing them to the harsh climates and radiation of space. According to [DecanterChina.com](https://www.decanterchina.com/en/news/china-launches-vines-in-space-to-beat-harsh-climate "undefined"), scientists hope the experiments will create a vine that is more drought, cold, and virus resistant making the vines more suitable for Chinese weather. The auspicious launch date is perhaps a nod to Chinese Mid-Autumn Festival folklore, as legend tells the story of the moon goddess, Chang’e, levitating all the way in to space after getting drunk on the [“elixir of life.” ](http://time.com/4492595/mid-autumn-festival-lanterns-moon-mooncake/ "undefined") China’s burgeoning vineyards — particularly in the Ningxia and Xinjiang regions — are marred by arid climates. Farmers often bury their plants during winter months to protect them from freezing over. The National Space Administration told Decanter China that when the vines are returned to earth they will be compared to a control group grown in the Ningxia region. According to a report by [International Wine & Spirit Research](http://www.vinexpohongkong.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/03/CHINE-ANG1.pdf "undefined"), a London-based industry research group, China is the fifth largest red-wine market in the world. Despite the country’s slowing economic growth, industry groups still see moderate growth in China’s wine market, particularly among [affluent millennials](http://www.scmp.com/news/china/money-wealth/article/1981534/chinas-new-wine-lovers-affluent-millenials-drinking-more "undefined") who are driving the country’s relatively new demand. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4503778/china-space-wine/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4503778/china-space-wine/"},"headline":"China Sends Vines Into Space in a Bid to Create Some Heavenly Wine","datePublished":"2016-09-22T08:38:52.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-23T00:45:13.153Z","description":"The experiment is designed to see if the vines can become more drought, cold and virus resistant","url":"https://time.com/4503778/china-space-wine/","keywords":["Space","wine","China","Vine","Xinjiang"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt7d7894c5af77d9eb/6988a7102dce01e8559eabfa/gettyimages-605941636.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Tekendra Parmar","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/tekendra-parmar/"}],"articleSection":"World","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt7d7894c5af77d9eb/6988a7102dce01e8559eabfa/gettyimages-605941636.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Tiangong-2 Space Laboratory Blasts Off In Jiuquan","caption":"Tiangong-2 Space Laboratory Blasts Off In Jiuquan","creditText":"VCG via Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/world/","name":"World"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4503778/china-space-wine/","name":"China Sends Vines Into Space in a Bid to Create Some Heavenly Wine"}}]}] ```