The Tim Atkin Cork Talk Podcast

Cork Talk with Felipe Tosso

Felipe Tosso wanted to be a professional tennis player or a civil engineer in his teens, but we wine lovers should be grateful he chose a different career. First with Concha y Toro and now, for over 20 years, at Viña Ventisquero, he has established himself as one of Chile’s leading winemakers. Listen to us chat about his love of the colour blue, what it’s like working with a vineyard in the middle of the Atacama Desert and why winemaking has so much in common with cooking and painting.

To read more about Felipe, have a look at the Viña Ventisquero website. You can also follow the winery on Instagram @ventisquero_wines

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

Cork Talk with Peter Gago

Peter Gago is one of the few winemakers who could be described as a celebrity. He’s been the chief winemaker at Penfolds since 2002 and is only the fourth person to oversee the production of its most famous wine, Grange, as well as a distinguished stable of other reds and whites. Listen to us chat about his English roots, his time as a high school teacher, the secrets of blending and what it’s like drinking wine with Bono from U2.

To read more about Peter, have a look at the Penfolds website. You can also follow Penfolds on Instagram @penfolds

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

Cork Talk with Trevor Durling

Trevor Durling was planning to go into the US Air Force until, quite by chance, he took an introductory winemaking course at the University of California Davis that changed the course of his life. Still in his 30s, he’s now the winemaker at Beaulieu Vineyard in the Napa Valley, where among other things he oversees the production of California’s first cult Cabernet: Georges de Latour. We talked about his legendary predecessor, André Tchelistcheff, his love of music, how he’s handling the challenges of climate change and the secret of Rutherford dust.

To read more about Trevor, have a look at Beaulieu Vineyard's website. You can also follow him on Instagram @trevor.durling

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

Cork Talk with Harold McGee

Harold McGee is one of America’s leading food writers, with a particular expertise in the science of cooking. His brilliant latest tome, Nose Dive, is about what he calls the “osmosocm”, the world of smells, which is very relevant to us wine drinkers too. I caught up with him from San Francisco recently to chat about the grouse that inspired him to write the book, how to train your nose, his favourite and least favourite aromas, smell’s link with memory and the role of the brain in processing information from our odour receptors. 

To read more about Harold, have a look at his website. You can also follow him on Instagram @mcgee.onfood.onsmells

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

Cork Talk with Pieter Ferreira

Universally known as "Bubbles", Pieter Ferreira is a sparkling wine legend. Chairman of the Cap Classique Producers’ Association and cellarmaster at Graham Beck, he probably knows more about fizz than anyone in South Africa. Listen to us talk about what he learnt from the French in Champagne, how Springbok rugby legend Jan Boland Coetzee influenced his life, the mysteries of autolysis and Graham Beck’s exiting new project in the UK.

To read more about Pieter, have a look at the Graham Beck website. You can also follow him on Instagram @bubblesferreira

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

Cork Talk with Ronan Sayburn MS

If it hadn't been for a part-time job in a pub, Ronan Sayburn might have become a geologist rather than one of the most famous sommeliers in the world. Having worked at a string of Michelin-starred restaurants, he's now Head of Wines at members' club 67 Pall Mall. Listen to us talk about difficult customers, deep sea diving, how you become a Master Sommelier and what's it really like working for Gordon Ramsay.

To read more about Ronan, have a look at his website. You can also follow her on Instagram @ronansayburn.

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

Cork Talk with Helen McGinn

Helen McGinn, Knackered Mother to many of her fans, is a wine writer, taster and TV presenter, best known for her appearances on the BBC's Saturday Kitchen. She also a very talented novelist, who's just published her second piece of fiction, In Just One Day. Listen to us talk about where to find the best value wines, the most embarrassing things that have happened to her on screen and how a family tragedy helped to inspire the plot of her new novel.

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

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

Cork Talk with Gordon Russell

Winemaking’s become such a scientific process that New Zealander Gordon Russell feels like one of a rare breed. He’s a top winemaker, but he started at the very bottom – pulling hoses and emptying presses, and has no formal scientific training. He hasn’t let that hold him back. Listen to us talk about his 31 years at Esk Valley in Hawkes Bay, his relationship with The Terrraces, one of the country’s most iconic vineyards, and why his passions for music, fly fishing and cooking make him better at his day job.

To read more about Gordon's wines, have a look at the Esk website. You can also follow him on Instagram @gordonatesk.

Don’t forget, Cork Talk is now available on Spotify as well as on my website. 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 Filipa Pato

Filipa Pato is the modern face of Bairrada, Dão’s milder, coastal cousin and a real region to watch. Filipa was recently crowned Portugal’s winemaker of the year – only the second woman to win the award. Listen to us talk about her two favourite local grapes, Baga and Bical, her love of biodynamics, her equally famous but very different father, Luis, her sommelier husband, William Wouters, and what it means to make wine “without make up”.

To read more about Filipa's wines, have a look at her website. You can also follow her on Instagram @filipa_pato.

Don’t forget, Cork Talk is now available on Spotify as well as on my website. 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 Gerhard Kracher

Gerhard Kracher is widely regarded as one of the greatest sweet winemakers in the world. He has more than lived up to the legacy of his late father, Luis, the man who pioneered new styles of Austrian botrytis-affected wine and promoted them tirelessly around the globe. We talked about noble rot, volatile acidity, unusual food matches and what makes the Seewinkel such a unique place to grow grapes.

To read more about Gerhard's wines, have a look at the Kracher website. You can also follow him on Instagram @gerhard_kracher.

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