I get lots of people asking similar questions about 80 Harvests: how it started, why I’m doing it, and how I can afford to. You can read more about my experience of 80 Harvests so far in some of the press interviews and articles, but here’s a few of the FAQs addressed here for you. If you have any more questions, just drop it in a comment below!
How did 80 Harvests start?
I’ve been drinking wine since my parents first started pouring me a glass at our Sunday roasts at home in England (I won’t say at what age!) I’ve been writing about wine since I moved to the vineyards of Mendoza, Argentina, in 2009. It has always fascinated me and even more so experiencing it from the vineyards and learning from the local experts.
The idea for 80 Harvests came when I was on a plane to South Africa for the first time in 2015. As we were flying over the African continent, I looked out of the window and was overwhelmed by the enormity of the land. I was curious to know who else was making wine in Africa. I could find out a fair bit of information on South Africa’s wine scene, but did you know that Namibia makes wine? And Kenya. And Lesotho. And the list goes on!
The name jumped into my head, and then I spent the next year seeing how feasible the plan would be and if I could make it a reality. Today it is a reality – and I’m on the journey, hopefully with you as part of it! There are many fascinating wine regions around the world and the goal of 80 Harvests is to discover them together as we visit during their harvest period so you can see the action as it happens, meet the producers on the ground and learn about the world of wine in one big, global wine adventure.
Why 80?
The inspiration for the name comes from the great adventure tale of Jules Verne – Around the World in 80 Days. I am a former Literature student but, beyond literary romanticism, 80 is also a perfect number to capture the world of wine – from the great classics to the offbeat and less travelled wine regions. 80 is my goal, but I have a feeling we are going to go a little over 80 by the time we finish… 80 will definitely make it to the book though!
How long will it take?
Harvest takes place only twice around the world so we are carefully managing our calendar to make sure we arrive in the right window in each region to capture some of the harvest and winemaking action. I also have a day job, see below, so the finish line rather depends on the resources behind it. On my own steam, I estimate 2020.
How are you paying for this?!
This is everyone’s favourite question. And the answer isn’t what you want it to be… It’s a lot of hard work! I started the project by funding it myself through freelancing simultaneously and using my own savings from the last few years of work. Unfortunately, a writer’s salary is rather small to cover a worldwide trip, so we also rely on subscriptions from some of our readers (thank you, subscribers – you are my heroes!) I’m also developing relationships with sponsors and partners who help make the journey possible. If you are interested in becoming a corporate or personal sponsor, please take a look at our Get Involved page.
How do you pick the regions?
I spent a year researching the world’s wine regions – those that are well known, and those that are lesser known – in order to plan the itinerary to arrive during harvest time. That was before I started, and the research hasn’t stopped! Before heading off for each region, I carefully research who I want to interview and where to visit. That being said, I’m always open to your suggestions and want to know where you most want to see and visit with us. So please drop us any comments with the wine region you most want to see in the world!