ANDERSONVILLE — For the love of wine and thrill of travel, every year Michael and Jennifer Kush split about 10 months between the southern and northern hemispheres, harvesting grapes from some of the world's most prestigious and scenic wine regions.
The winemaking husband and wife team, who are Andersonville residents when they're not globetrotting, are the owners and producers of local boutique wine brand Chasing Harvest.
The brand is inspired by Michael's travels, which early in his career took him from California's Sonoma Valley to New Zealand. The industry term for hopping from hemisphere to hemisphere for harvest-time? Chasing Harvest.
"And years later I certainly have chased harvest," Michael said, who has participated in more than 20 harvests since 2006.
"It was a little bit of a leap of faith when he told me he wanted to pursue this inner passion of wine making," Jennifer said. But by 2007 she was harvest chasing along with him, and by 2009 they had established their brand.
"Working with wine is such a humbling experience," said Jennifer, who has a marketing background. "Because you're humbled by the weather, working with the grapes you have, and then looking at every detail until the very end when you're celebrating with people — and then you actually pour the wine."
Speaking of pouring wine — the Kushes have plans for tastings in the Chicago area this summer before they head to harvest in Duoro in late August, including in Andersonville and Rogers Park.
Michael said in an email that Chasing Harvest would be pouring current release wines including its 2011 Central Otago Pinot Noir, 2010 Douro DOC Vinho Tinto and 2012 Douro DOC Vinho Branco, as well as Chasin Harvests' 2010 Central Otago Pinot Noir.
Here's a list of upcoming tastings:
July 31: The Bottle Shop, 1148 Central Ave., Wilmette, Illinois 6-7 p.m.
Aug. 8: Taste Food & Wine, 506 W Jarvis Ave., 5-8 p.m.
Aug. 9: In Fine Spirits, 5418 N. Clark St., 3-6 6:00 p.m.
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