Episodes

4 days ago
Cork Talk with Alex Hunt
4 days ago
4 days ago
Master of Wine Alex Hunt is a published journalist and a prodigiously talented musician – his first love, he says – who has a very busy day job as purchasing director of Berkmann Wine Cellars in London. Impressively articulate and knowledgeable, he has informed views on everything from the difference between blind and sighted tastings to fine Burgundy prices, Beethoven piano sonatas to how Garnacha should be made “as God intended”.
To read more about Alex have a look at the Instate of Masters of Wine website. You can also follow him on X at @AlexHuntMW
Don’t forget, Cork Talk is now available on Spotify as well as Apple Podcasts. You can listen to this week’s episode, plus my back catalogue of interviews with some of the world’s most extraordinary wine figures.

Thursday Mar 20, 2025
Cork Talk with Charles Metcalfe
Thursday Mar 20, 2025
Thursday Mar 20, 2025
Charles Metcalfe is both a singer and a wine writer, someone who has combined the two jobs for more than 40 years. An expert on the wines of Spain and Portugal – where he now lives with his wife and fellow scribe Kathryn McWhirter – he’s a great raconteur. Our chat covered everything from daytime TV to food and wine matching, airline wines to the benefits of self-published books. And he closed the interview with a bit of fado.
To read more about Charles have a look at the Association of Wine Educators' website. You can also follow him on Instagram at @thewinesinger.
Don’t forget, Cork Talk is now available on Spotify as well as Apple Podcasts. You can listen to this week’s episode, plus my back catalogue of interviews with some of the world’s most extraordinary wine figures.

Friday Mar 14, 2025
Cork Talk with Craig Wessels
Friday Mar 14, 2025
Friday Mar 14, 2025
Craig Wessels started his own media company after dropping out of university, but he’d always wanted to be a farmer. After a three-day winemaking course in Stellenbosch, he decided to give it a go when he and his wife, Anne, bought a property in the Upper Hemel-en-Aarde Valley in 2004. Entirely self-taught, he’s since turned Restless River into one of the finest estates in South Africa, famous for Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon.
To read more about Craig have a look at the Restless River website. You can also follow him on Instagram at @restlessrivervineyards.
Don’t forget, Cork Talk is now available on Spotify as well as Apple Podcasts. You can listen to this week’s episode, plus my back catalogue of interviews with some of the world’s most extraordinary wine figures.

Thursday Mar 06, 2025
Cork Talk with Vicky Torres
Thursday Mar 06, 2025
Thursday Mar 06, 2025
Vicky Torres didn’t produce wine until she was 35, but she’s certainly made up for it since. Her expressive, artisanal, wines – be they white, red, or sweet - are among the finest in the Canary Islands and increasingly sought after around the world. She’s the perfect person to interview about the island’s terroirs, climate and grape varieties, as well as what it’s like to live in the shadow of La Cumbre Vieja, one of Europe’s most active volcanoes.
To read more about Vicky have a look at the Spanish Wine Lover website. You can also follow her on Instagram at @torrespecis.
Don’t forget, Cork Talk is now available on Spotify as well as Apple Podcasts. You can listen to this week’s episode, plus my back catalogue of interviews with some of the world’s most extraordinary wine figures.

Friday Feb 28, 2025
Cork Talk with Martin Krajewski
Friday Feb 28, 2025
Friday Feb 28, 2025
Martin Krajewski left school wanting to be a golf pro but got a job in the City that ended up making him a fortune instead. Focused full-time on the wine business since 2008, he now owns two properties in Bordeaux - Château Séraphine in Pomerol and Clos Cantenac in Saint Emilion – where he works alongside his winemaker daughter Charlotte. One of the men behind the modern rosé revolution, he’s a fascinating interviewee with lots of tales to tell.
To read more about Martin have a look at the Château Séraphine website. You can also follow him on Instagram at @chateauseraphine.
Don’t forget, Cork Talk is now available on Spotify as well as Apple Podcasts. You can listen to this week’s episode, plus my back catalogue of interviews with some of the world’s most extraordinary wine figures.

Friday Feb 21, 2025
Cork Talk with Matt Wilkin
Friday Feb 21, 2025
Friday Feb 21, 2025
Matt Wilkin’s parents were teetotal, but that didn’t put him off going into hospitality or developing a passionate interest in wine. After a couple of harvests in Australia, he carved out a career as one of the best sommeliers in the world, becoming a Master Sommelier and winning the UK title in the same year. Over the space of 40 minutes, we discussed everything from wine lists to storytellers, Burgundy to the art of food and wine matching.
To read more about Matt have a look at the Alliance Wine website. You can also follow him on Instagram at @matt_wilkin_ms.
Don’t forget, Cork Talk is now available on Spotify as well as Apple Podcasts. You can listen to this week’s episode, plus my back catalogue of interviews with some of the world’s most extraordinary wine figures.

Thursday Feb 13, 2025
Cork Talk with Gerd Stepp
Thursday Feb 13, 2025
Thursday Feb 13, 2025
Gerd Stepp was brought up on a grape and apple farm in the village of Bad Dürkheim. After working in wineries in Italy, Zimbabwe and South Africa, and a spell as a buyer for Marks & Spencer, he returned to his roots to set up his own wine business in the Rheinpfalz. Our fascinating chat covered his love of the African bush, Cabernet Franc, his talents as a long-distance runner and why Riesling might just be too geeky for its own good.
To read more about Gerd have a look here. You can also follow him on Instagram at @steppgerd.
Don’t forget, Cork Talk is now available on Spotify as well as Apple Podcasts. You can listen to this week’s episode, plus my back catalogue of interviews with some of the world’s most extraordinary wine figures.

Thursday Feb 06, 2025
Cork Talk with Mary Bridges
Thursday Feb 06, 2025
Thursday Feb 06, 2025
Mary Bridges grew up on a farm in Inverness and worked in a Michelin starred restaurant before deciding she wanted to be a winemaker. After a vintage in France, she got a job at top English producer Gusbourne and has been there ever since. Our conversation covered vintage differences, the contrasting merits of grapes from Kent and Sussex, the future of English Pinot Noir and the freedom that comes from making wine by intuition, not numbers.
To read more about Mary have a look at the Gusbourne website. You can also follow her on Instagram at @maero_b.
Don’t forget, Cork Talk is now available on Spotify as well as Apple Podcasts. You can listen to this week’s episode, plus my back catalogue of interviews with some of the world’s most extraordinary wine figures.

Thursday Jan 30, 2025
Cork Talk with Felicity Carter
Thursday Jan 30, 2025
Thursday Jan 30, 2025
Felicity Carter is a journalist who specialises in the business of wine. More recently, she’s become an acknowledged expert on health and alcohol policy, interviewing several of the key figures in the sector on her Drinks Insider podcast. I chatted to her from her home in Germany about the French paradox, the j-shaped curve, the World Health Organization, Prohibition, safe drinking levels, Big Tobacco and good and bad science.
To read more about Felicity have a look at the Drinks Insider website. You can also follow her on Instagram at @carter.felicity.
Don’t forget, Cork Talk is now available on Spotify as well as Apple Podcasts. You can listen to this week’s episode, plus my back catalogue of interviews with some of the world’s most extraordinary wine figures.

Thursday Jan 23, 2025
Cork Talk with John Duval
Thursday Jan 23, 2025
Thursday Jan 23, 2025
John Duval is one the legends of the Australian wine industry. He’s known for his work as chief winemaker at Penfolds, where he was in charge of making Grange (among others things), and as the head of his eponymous family winery since 2003. I caught up with him from his beloved Barossa Valley to chat about Shiraz, old vines, his love of Priorat, Chile and the northern Rhône, what he learnt from Max Schubert and why Cat’s Pyjamas is a bad name for a wine.
To read more about John have a look at the John Duval Wines website. You can also follow him on Instagram at @johnduvalwines.
Don’t forget, Cork Talk is now available on Spotify as well as Apple Podcasts. You can listen to this week’s episode, plus my back catalogue of interviews with some of the world’s most extraordinary wine figures.