At Tablas Creek winery in Paso Robles, Calif., 200 black-faced Dorper sheep munch weeds among rows of vines. Along the way, they fertilize the soil while donkeys and 200-pound Spanish mastiffs ward off coyotes and mountain lions.
Pairs of owls zoom from vineyard boxes to eliminate more than 500 vine root-eating gophers a year. Chickens scratch the earth, scarfing up unwelcome bugs.
A couple of decades ago, this vineyard menagerie would have been highly unusual. Now, the commitment to organic and biodynamic viticulture has pushed top wineries across the globe to look to nature for alternatives to chemicals. Furry, feathered, scaly, and four-legged animals (even bats) have become essential winery employees, contributing to vineyards’ overall health by replacing toxic pesticides and herbicides.
Tablas Creek goes even further. It’s the first winery in the world to obtain regenerative organic certification, a new international farming standard intended to combat climate change.
“It’s about creating an ecosystem,” explains partner Jason Haas. “The sheep replace tractors and reduce greenhouse gas emissions, save money on fuel, and help create healthy soils with the microorganisms they leave behind in manure.” Right now, he has weasels on his mind as a good addition.
Not every vineyard animal experiment works out.
New Zealand’s Yealands estate trialed giant guinea pigs as weed eaters. Alas, they became a favorite food for falcons and hawks.
But many of the critters prized in vineyards right now might surprise you. Here are 10 of them:
Armadillos
Armor-shelled armadillos use their long, sticky tongues to feast on the aggressive ants that damage vines and leaves at Bodega Chacra, a boutique pinot noir winery in Patagonia, on the edge of Argentina’s central desert. Encouraging them means owner Piero Incisa della Rocchetta doesn’t have to put out poisonous ant traps.
“One day, the vineyard manager found an inebriated armadillo on top of discarded fermenting grape skins and was anxious to eat it,” says Incisa, “but I banned that.” The vineyard needs all the armadillos it can get.