The little engine that could: How this tractor could transform China’s wine industry

By Jim Boyce

The biggest gripe of grape growers in northern China is the arduous task of burying vines in the fall and uncovering them in the spring as a buffer against the harsh — think both dry and cold — winters. These chores unavoidably damage some vines, whether due to cuts from implements, increased disease susceptibility or the overall trauma of the experience, and kill others — annual losses of 5 to 10 percent are not uncommon.

What makes things particularly painful is the cost. Xinjiang-based Wangzhong Winery, for example, estimates that as much as one-third of its expenses are due simply to burying and uncovering vines. It doesn’t take an accountant to realize that a solution to this problem would make Chinese wineries more competitive. And there might be one. I recently wrote a story for Wine Business International about a tractor being developed at Wangzhong. Click the image below to read it. And get more info about Wine Business International here.

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