(TheDailyBeast) - Years back, when Napa winemaker Michael Mondavi told me that he would love to make wine on the moon, I thought, Michael, you are one crazy dude. Historically, there have been some basic prerequisites for a good wine region: water (yes, the moon has some, though it’s frozen), enough sunlight (that would be a “no”) and rich mineral soil, such as limestone, granite, slate, or schist. (Molten glass rock? Dubious.) But the truth is, when it comes to planting, modern technology can now trump nature. With irrigation bringing precious water to deserts, grape clones resisting disease and extreme weather, earth-moving machines replacing poor soil, and reverse osmosis adjusting the intensity of wines, the drink can be squeezed from almost anywhere.