The Tim Atkin Cork Talk Podcast

Niki Segnit is an expert on flavour, having written two best-selling books about the subject. I caught up with her before she jumped on a plane to Andalusia to talk about her eureka moment tasting a bottle of claret from Waitrose, unexpectedly delicious food pairings, Mike Leigh and liver in lager, how we inspire kids to eat better, her mistrust of recipe books and why she’s on a mission to give home cooks the courage to strike out on their own.

To read more about Niki have a look at her website. You can also follow her on Instagram at @nikisegnit.

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. 

 

When Anthony Hamilton Russell gave up a job as a management consultant to return to the family wine farm in the Hemel-en-Aarde Valley, his London salary was more than the turnover of the business his pioneering father Tim had established in 1981. Our fascinating chat about the last 40 years of South Africa’s leading cool climate region covered everything from Nelson Mandela to leaf roll virus, Pinotage to sustainability in all its forms.

To read more about Anthony have a look at the Hamilton Russell Vineyards' website. You can also follow the bodega on Instagram at @anthony_hamilton_russell.

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. 

 

A passionate Andalusian and Professor of Law at Granada University, Jesús Barquín is also one of the key figures in the modern Sherry revolution. Equipo Navazos, the company he co-founded with his friend the winemaker Eduardo Ojeda, has pioneered single cask as well as unfortified wines from the region. Our fascinating chat covered the nomenclature of Sherry, famous vineyard sites, Edgar Allan Poe and why Amontillado is his favourite wine.

To read more about Jesús have a look at the Equipo Navazos website. You can also follow the business on Instagram at @equiponavazos. 

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. 

 

Adrian Bridge had two careers – in the military and banking – before he joined the wine business in 1994. Now CEO of the Fladgate Partnership, he’s one of the most articulate, dynamic and articulate people in the Port trade. Our fascinating chat covered climate change, the importance of good spirit for fortification, his love of mountaineering and different drinking vessels and why foot-treading in lagars gives his Ports a vital extra 1% in quality.

To read more about Adrian have a look at the Taylor's website. You can also follow the bodega on Instagram at @taylorsportwine.

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. 

 

Author of Vineyards, Rocks & Soils, Professor Alex Maltman is an acknowledged expert on wine geology. I caught up with him from his home in Aberystwyth to talk about his life’s work. Our in-depth chat covered earthquakes, Welsh Seyval Blanc, different types of rocks, his definition of the French word terroir, the unseen factors that affect vinous aromas and flavours and why geology is so often misunderstood by people in the wine business.

To read more about Alex, have a look at the University of Aberystwyth's website.  You can also read some of his articles in the World of Fine Wine. 

Brian Moore, known as pit bull during his time playing rugby for England and the British and Irish Lions, was always a sportsman with a hinterland. Our fascinating chat covers his other careers as a solicitor, wine columnist, TV commentator, manicurist and now trainee psychotherapist, as well as plenty of other things besides, including food, politics, scaffolding, his secret respect for the French and why he can’t stand “Swing low, sweet chariot”.

To read more about Brian, do buy a copy of his autobiography, Beware of the Dog. You can also follow him on X (ex Twitter) @brianmoore666. 

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. 

 

Fernando Maíllo works in fine pata negra ham as well as wine – lucky man – and has been one of the key figures behind the emergence of the Sierra de Salamanca region in Castilla y León. Listen to us chat about the unique qualities of Rufete, both red and white, how he rescued 131 abandoned vineyards, his love of kite surfing and red Burgundy and his desire to express the terroir of the natural park that surrounds his winery in every single bottle.

To read more about Fernando have a look at the Cámbrico website. You can also follow the bodega on Instagram at cambricowine. 

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. 

 

After a 30 year career in banking, Grant Ashton turned his passion for wine into a business, setting up the wine-focused members’ club, 67 Pall Mall, in London. He’s now CEO of a chain of three sites that’s set to expand to six or more over the next few years. Our fascinating chat covered his musical family, how he finds and trains sommeliers, the debt he owes to Coravin, his approach to surviving the pandemic and why his motto is “go big or go home”.

To read more about Grant have a look at the 67 Pall Mall website. You can also follow the club on Instagram at 67pall_mall. 

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. 

 

Sean Willard engineers menus and wine lists for a living. It’s a fascinating job that involves economics, science, art, psychology – and plenty of number crunching. Our enjoyable chat covered everything from font sizes to daily specials, how the pandemic changed the on-trade for ever, techniques for steering customers away from default choices, the concept of truth on menus and what annoys him most about eating out in restaurants.

To read more about Sean have a look at the Menu Engineers website.

Don’t forget, Cork Talk is now available on Spotify. You can listen to this week’s episode, plus my back catalogue of interviews with some of the world’s most extraordinary wine figures. 

Alessio Planeta is the seventeenth generation of his family to make wine in Sicily. As you’d expect, he’s a man with a passionate interest in the history of the Mediterranean’s largest island. Listen to us talk about Sicily’s different sub-regions, the remarkable quality of its best indigenous grapes, its twenty different civilisations, Lord Horatio Nelson’s love of Marsala and what it’s like making wine on the side of an active volcano.

To read more about Alessio have a look at the Planeta website. You can also follow the winery on Instagram @planetawinery.

Don’t forget, Cork Talk is now available on Spotify. You can listen to this week’s episode, plus my back catalogue of interviews with some of the world’s most extraordinary wine figures.