They were taken into space in November 2019 and March 2020 respectively as part of an experiment organized by European startup Space Cargo Unlimited (SCU), according to a statement released Monday.
The research, known as Mission Wise, explores how “new ways can be developed to grow and scale plants on Earth to feed more people on the planet.”
The vines will be analyzed to see how they have changed during their time in space, where the effects of microgravity and higher radiation exposure than on Earth accelerate genetic changes.
Scientists will then compare them to specimens left on Earth, with the goal of adapting vines to grow in rougher environments.
Expert tasters will also sample the 12 bottles of Bordeaux to see what effects time in space has had on the wine.
“Space Cargo Unlimited will investigate how space radiation and microgravity affect wine components during the aging process,” the company said in a statement in November 2019. “This may provide results that help understand flavor enhancement and food preservation.”
Researchers believe that vines and wine are “ideal study materials” to assess the future of agriculture as climate change continues to change growing conditions.
Woody plants such as vines are crucial to feed the human population, researchers say, but they have never been studied in space.
“This could be a game-changer in unlocking tomorrow’s agriculture,” said Michael Lebert, SCU’s Chief Scientific Officer.
Planned future experiments include measuring the effect of space conditions on the fermentation of bacteria and yeast, SCU said.