Norwegian Fjord Horses
Horse power for tilling vineyard soil is now common, especially in France’s Loire Valley and Bordeaux.

You’ll find the most unusual horse breed at Odfjell winery in Maipo Valley, Chile, whose founder is Norwegian shipping magnate Dan Odfjell. He transported fjord horses from western Norway via Lufthansa, even before he started planting vines. One of the world’s oldest breeds, they are small, tough, and above all, sure-footed—ideal for spring plowing and transporting grapes during harvest, even from steep mountain vineyards.

Kunekune pigs
Sweet-tempered, hairy kunekune porkers (pronounced coonee coonee), a heritage breed from New Zealand, make exotic pets and are beloved by chefs.

They’re also good vineyard weed mowers, which is why the owners of Oregon’s Balanced Earth Farm send them out in rotation with Scottish highland cattle and sheep. Kunekunes don’t tear up the turf, as other pigs do, and they nicely complete the eco-circle by ending up as the main course at family dinners.

Snakes
Not being a snake fan, I was a tad alarmed to find Bordeaux’s Château Coutet in St. Emilion experimenting with three varieties of non-venomous serpents. Co-owner Adrien David-Beaulieu says they restrain the population of destructive rodents that eat succulent vine roots and dig underground tunnels that dry out vineyard soil.

To make sure he has enough snakes, David-Beaulieu spreads large black “carpets” on the ground in the vineyard to trap morning heat, and the snakes take refuge under them.

Indian Runner ducks
Every morning at precisely 10:30 a.m., a massive squad of ducks marches off to the vineyards at Vergenoegd Low wine estate in the Stellenbosch region of South Africa. They’re foraging for white dune snails, an invasive species that eats buds on the grapevines in spring.

Slim Indian runner ducks can slide between vines, and their long necks let them reach snails high up on vine trunks. The parade has become a famous sight for visitors. Want to watch? Here’s a video.

Mules
Come spring in Bordeaux, you’ll see Poitevin mules among the oldest vines at Domaine de Chevalier. “We can’t use tractors, because old vines aren’t in straight rows,” explains Olivier Bernard, whose family owns the estate. “With mules, we can adapt the work to each individual vine and avoid damaging the roots and shoots.”

Like horses, mules don’t compact the soil, which allows more microbes to flourish in the soil, adding character and freshness to the wines. Mules are less nervous than horses and have more strength and endurance.