The Tim Atkin Cork Talk Podcast

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. 

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. 

Kym Milne MW’s services are always in demand as a consultant. Over the course of a 40 year career, he has worked in more than a dozen countries, establishing a global reputation as a winemaker and blender. Listen to us chat about his upbringing on a farm in South Australia, his love of Chardonnay, the role of flying winemakers, what it takes to be a good show judge, and why he never got to make wine in Albania.

To read more about Kym have a look at the Masters of Wine website. You can also follow him on Instagram @milnekym.

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. 

Hans Vinding-Diers was born on a wine farm in South Africa, grew up in Bordeaux, has a Danish passport, and now makes reds in Patagonia. He’s a classic citizen of the world. Listen to us chat about his winemaking father, Peter, his love of theatre, why Malbec is such an adaptable grape, the story behind Noemía, one of Argentina’s most iconic reds, and how finding a stash of old bottles changed his life.

To read more about Hans have a look at the Noemía website. You can also follow him on Instagram @vindingdiershans.

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. 

Paz Levinson is one of the best known sommeliers in the world, but she initially struggled to even get a job waiting tables when she was a student in Buenos Aires. Now the Head Executive Sommelier for the Pic Group in Valence, she was fascinating to talk to about her time in China, her obsession with food and drink pairings, her love of TS Eliot and why she’s done with sommelier competitions.

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

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. 

 

Isabel Salgado grew up in Madrid, but has always had a special relationship with Galicia, a region where’s she made wine for the last 28 years, specialising in Albariño. Listen to us chat about the grape’s origins, personality and remarkable ageing potential, the soils and sub-regions of the Rías Baixas denominación de origen and why having their own vineyards makes a big difference at Bodegas Fillaboa.

To read more about Isabel have a look at the Bodegas Fillaboa website. You can also follow her on Instagram @isabelsawine.

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. 

Ernst Loosen, universally known as Erni, is one of the key figures in the modern renaissance of German wine. He’s a genuine global wine rockstar. Listen to us chat about his love of vintage cars, why he thinks Riesling is like a good actor – adept at playing many roles, what he’s learnt from making wine with Chateau Sainte Michelle in Washington State, and how great wines begin in your head.

To read more about Erni have a look at the Dr Loosen website. You can also follow him on Instagram @dr.loosen.

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. 

 

Alessandro de Stefani is the fourth generation of his family to make wine in the Veneto – but the first to have benefited from the extraordinary popularity of Prosecco. Listen to use chat about the different terroirs of Conegliano and Valdobbiadene, his love of the red Marzemino grape, the role of social media in wine marketing and why Ernest Hemingway was such a big fan of his family’s wines.

To read more about Alessandro have a look at the De Stefani website. You can also follow him on Instagram @destefaniwinery.

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. 

 

Sophia Bergqvist’s grandmother, Claire, was given Quinta de la Rosa as a christening present in 1906, but by the time her granddaughter took over eighty-two years later it was in a sorry, rundown state. Listen to us chat about how Sophia turned this historic Douro Valley estate around, why table wines, not Port, are her main focus, and what being the Swan Warden for the Vintners Company in London really entails.

To read more about Sophia have a look at the Quinta de la Rosa website. You can also follow her on Instagram @quintadelrosa.

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. 

 

Max Allen moved from the UK to Australia in 1993 and has since become one of that country’s most outstanding drinks’ writers. His most recent book, Intoxicating, is a personal history of booze in Australia, told through the prism of ten very different drinks. We discussed the myth of the “dry continent”, how the arrival of rum changed the country for ever, why Aussies really love Champagne and what Aboriginal people were really drinking before the First Fleet arrived.

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

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.