The Tim Atkin Cork Talk Podcast

Cork Talk with Michael Hill Smith

Michael Hill Smith MW is a sixth generation winemaker who always wanted to do his own thing, rather than go into the family firm, Yalumba. Show judge, entrepreneur, consultant and lapsed restaurateur, he’s one of Australian wine’s finest palates and advocates. Listen to us chat about his various projects in the Adelaide Hills, Tasmania and Blewitt Springs, the debt he owes to the legendary Len Evans and what makes a good airline wine.

To read more about Michael, have a look at the Shaw + Smith website. You can also follow him on Instagram @shawandsmith.

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. 

 

Cork Talk with Duncan Savage

Duncan Savage gave up a business degree to study wine. First at Cape Point Vineyards and now at Savage Wines, he’s since become one of South Africa’s finest producers. Listen to us chat about what he learnt from Loire Valley legend Didier Dagueneau, the secret behind the success of the Cape’s New Wave, how he comes up with the unusual names for his wines and the terroir of surfing.

To read more about Duncan, have a look at the Savage Wines website. You can also follow him on Instagram @savagewines.

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. 

Cork Talk with Nigel Greening

Nigel Greening had a number of careers – blues guitarist, designer and event organiser among other things – before he bought Felton Road in New Zealand in 2000, selling almost everything he had to do so. Listen to us chat about the climate and terroirs of Central Otago, one of the world’s most southerly wine regions, his views on biodynamics, his love of Pinot Noir and why he’s such a passionate cook.

To read more about Nigel, have a look at the Felton Road  website. You can also follow him on Instagram @longbrookluthier.

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. 

Cork Talk with Dirk Niepoort

Dirk Niepoort has had a profound and lasting impact on the Portuguese wine industry as well as the global wine scene. As outspoken as he is opinionated, he’s widely regarded as one of its most talented winemakers and profound thinkers. Listen to us chat about the Douro Valley’s table wine revolution, his search to combine tradition with innovation and why failure is “part of the process of getting better”.

To read more about Dirk, have a look at his  website. You can also follow him on Instagram @niepoortvinhos 

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. 

Cork Talk with Karen MacNeil

The first print run of Karen MacNeil’s The Wine Bible ran to just 700 books. A wild underestimation, given it’s sold more than a million copies to date. To celebrate the publication of the magisterial third edition this week, I caught up with Karen to talk about her remarkable back story as a runaway street kid, the importance of humour in wine writing, the difference between a good and great wine and how, as a generalist, she keeps up the ever-expanding wine world.

To read more about Karen, have a look at her website. You can also follow her on Instagram @karenmacneilco. 

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. 

Cork Talk with John Worontschak

John Worontschak was born to Ukrainian parents in Adelaide and has gone on to become one of the most travelled and successful winemaking consultants in the world. Listen to us chat about what he really thought of English wines when he first arrived here in 1988, his views on how the industry has developed, the invention of his GinKing brand and how personally he feels the current war in the land of his parents.

To read more about John, have a look at the Litmus Wines website. You can also follow him on Instagram @litmuswines. 

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. 

Cork Talk with Jean-Baptiste Lécaillon

Jean-Baptiste Lécaillon is one of the most brilliant sparkling winemakers in the world. Chef de Cave at Champagne Louis Roederer since 1999, he’s the man behind the de-luxe cuvée Cristal, as well as a host of other bubblies. Listen to our fascinating chat, covering everything from freshness to what he calls deep-rootedness, autolysis to climate change, Champagne’s chalky soils and the role of Pinot Meunier in blends.

To read more about Jean-Baptiste, have a look at the Louis Roederer website. You can also follow him on Instagram @jblfizz. 

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. 

Cork Talk with Sonal Holland

 Sonal Holland MW is on a one-person mission to get Indian consumers to drink more wine. Writer, wine judge, presenter, consultant and retailer, she’s one of those people who never seems to stop working. Listen to us chat about what she calls her “arranged marriage” with wine, the best bottles to look out for from the sub-continent, what she serves with spicy food and how she copes with being a high-profile woman in India.

To read more about Sonal, have a look at her website. You can also follow her on Instagram @sonalholland_masterofwine.

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. 

Cork Talk with Olivier Humbrecht

Olivier Humbrecht MW is a twelfth generation Alsatian winemaker with a global reputation. He was still in his twenties when he took over Domaine Zind-Humbrecht and has taken it to new heights, using biodynamic practices across his 42 hectares of vineyards. Listen to us chat about soil types, climate change, the differences between Protestant and Catholic wines and why he loves holidays in Scotland.

To read more about Olivier have a look at the Domaine Zind-Humbrecht website. You can also follow him on Instagram @zindhumbrecht.

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. 

Cork Talk with Andrea Mullineux

Andrea Mullineux grew up in California, where she originally wanted to become an astronaut. These days, her home is in South Africa, where she’s created two world-class wineries with her husband, Chris: Mullineux Family Wines and Leeu Passant. She’s a fascinating interviewee, happy to discuss topics as wide ranging as her love of Chenin Blanc and Syrah, the properties of different soil types, the genesis of the Swartland Revolution and the perfect recipe for chocolate chip cookies.

To read more about Andrea have a look at the Mullineux & Leeu Family Wines website. You can also follow her on Instagram @mullineuxwines.

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.