The Tim Atkin Cork Talk Podcast

Peter-Allan Finlayson is the scion of one of the most famous and important families in the Cape wine industry – and he’s extremely talented in his own right, equally at home making Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Syrah and Chenin Blanc at Crystallum and Gabriëlskloof. Listen to us chat about why he studied philosophy and economics at university, why his first vintage was a disaster and the camaraderie of South Africa’s New Wave producers.

To read more about Peter-Allan, have a look at the Crystallum website. You can also follow the winery on Instagram @crystallumwines

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.

Franco Massolino is the fourth generation of his family to make wine in the Piedmontese village of Serralunga, but the first to train formally as an oenologist. He’s as thoughtful as he is talented and a fascinating person to talk wine with. Listen to us discuss modern and traditional styles of Barolo, why Nebbiolo is a servant of its environment, his new project in Barbaresco and the special magic of his Grand Cru site, Vigna Rionda.

To read more about Franco, have a look at the Massolino website. You can also follow the winery on Instagram @massolinowinery

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.

Andrea Pieropan started studying winemaking and agriculture at the tender age of 14 – they do thing differently in Italy – and now works alongside his brother Dario as the fourth generation to run the family winery in Soave. Listen to us talk about the historic Garganega grape, about Pieropan’s two very different single vineyard wines, Calvarino and La Rocca, and the fascinating history of the region’s sweet wine, Recioto di Soave.

To read more about Andrea, have a look at the Pieropan website. You can also follow the winery on Instagram @pieropanwines

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.

In a career spanning 50 years – and showing no signs of letting up – Brian Croser has distinguished himself as one of the driving forces of the Australian wine industry. He combines talents as a winemaker, teacher, terroir pioneer, consultant – even a politician. No surprise, he’s a fascinating person to interview. Opinionated, ferociously intelligent and passionately committed to the cause of Australian fine wine, we look back on his remarkable career and speculate about what’s next for this New World giant.

To read more about Brian, have a look at the Tapanappa website. 

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.

Author, master of wine and owner of three châteaux with her husband Jacques Thienpont, Fiona Morrison is a wonderfully dynamic presence on the Bordeaux wine scene. Listen to us talk about her book, Ten Great Wine Families, what it’s like running Le Pin, one of the most famous wine estates in the world, the intricacies of the Napoleonic Code and how her sense of humour helps her stay honest to herself.

To read more about Fiona, have a look at the Thienpont Wine website. You can also follow her on Instagram @fionamcleodmorrison

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.