The Tim Atkin Cork Talk Podcast

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.

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.

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.

 

 

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.

 

 

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.

 

 

 

 

Almudena Alberca is Spain’s only female Master of Wine as well as the technical director of Entrecanales Domecq e Hijos, a group that makes wines in six different Spanish regions including Rueda, Rioja and Ribera del Duero. She’s something of a phenomenon. Listen to us chat about why she chose wine rather than cheese as a career, her time in New Zealand, the finer points of the Tempranillo grape and how rediscovered minority varieties could be a partial answer to climate change.

To read more about Almudena's wines, have a look at the Entrecanales Domecq website. You can also follow her on Instagram @almudenaalberca

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.

Still in his early thirties, Aris Tselepos is one of the rising talents of the Greek wine scene, with a CV that includes a harvest at Cloudy Bay in New Zealand and a Masters Degree at the University of California Davis. Listen to us chat about the different charactertistics of Moschofilero, Agiorgitiko and Assyrtiko, the famous basket vines of Santorini and what playing chess has taught him about life.

To read more about Aris' wines, have a look at the Tselepos Wines website. You can also follow him on Instagram @aristselepos.

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.

Roman Horvath MW runs Domäne Wachau in Austria, widely regarded as one of the best co-operatives in the world. Roman may have been uninterested in wine until his mid-20s, but he’s certainly made up for lost time. Today, he’s a key figure in the picturesque Wachau Valley. We talked about the magic of Grüner Veltliner, fermenting wines in marble tanks for a bit of fun, and what it takes to keep the co-op’s 250 families happy.

To read more about Roman's wines, have a look at the Domäne Wachau website. You can also follow him on Instagram @domaenewachau.

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.

Ricardo Baettig of Viña Morandé is one of South America’s most innovative and creative winemakers. A champion of Italian grapes – and Italy in general – as well as traditional varieties from the Secano Interior, he’s fascinating to listen to on the past, present and future of the Chilean wine industry, as well as on the subjects of painting, hiking and water polo.

To read more about Ricardo's wines, have a look at the Morandé website. You can also follow him on Instagram @rbaettig.

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.

Germán di Cesare is Mr Malbec at Trivento, making one of the most successful and widely exported bottlings of Argentina's signature grape. Listen to us chat about the difference between the Primera Zona and the Uco Valley in Mendoza, the secret of producing a big blend, how Argentinian wine has changed over the last 20 years and what it’s like to cross the Andes on horseback.

To read more about Germán's wines, have a look at the Trivento website. You can also follow him on Instagram @geriswine

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.