The Tim Atkin Cork Talk Podcast

By his own admission, Michel Chapoutier would fall over if he ever stood still. He’s one of the most creative and dynamic winemakers on the planet. I caught up with the enfant terrible of the Rhône Valley to talk about Syrah, his enduring love of food, his overseas investments, biodynamics, the potential of Chasselas in England and his conviction that “vintage is truth”. It’s quite an interview.

To read more about Michel have a look at the Chapoutier website. You can also follow him on Instagram @m_chapoutier.

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. 

 

 

As technical director of Concha y Toro, Marcelo Papa oversees the production of millions of bottles of commercial wine, as well as some of South America’s most prestigious reds and whites. Listen to us chat about his Italian roots, what he learnt from working in California, the terroirs of Limarí and the Maipo Valley, his grandmother’s gnocchi and why a psychiatrist advised him to give up golf.

To read more about Marcelo have a look at the Concha y Toro website. You can also follow him on Instagram @mpapacortesi.

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. 

 

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. 

 

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. 

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. 

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. 

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. 

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. 

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. 

 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.