Episodes

Friday Aug 14, 2020
Cork Talk with Daniel Pi
Friday Aug 14, 2020
Friday Aug 14, 2020
As winemaking director of Grupo Peñaflor, Daniel Pi is at the helm of one of the biggest wine producers in the world. He’s also widely recognised as being among of the most talented winemakers in Argentina. Architecture’s loss is very much wine’s gain. We talk about his first job in the wine industry – making a pineapple-based RTD, believe it or not – the potential he sees in Argentina’s white wines, his personal family project, Tres14, and the many and diverse styles of Malbec.
You can follow Daniel on Instagram @danielpi314. For more information about Grupo Peñaflor's wines, go to the company's website.
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 winemakers

Wednesday Aug 05, 2020
Cork Talk with Rosa Kruger
Wednesday Aug 05, 2020
Wednesday Aug 05, 2020
Rosa Kruger is one the key figures of the new South African wine scene. Best known for her work with the preservation of old vines and her role as an unofficial mentor to many of the best young winemakers in the Cape, she talks to me about her famous ancestor, Paul Kruger, about what makes a great vineyard, about the sites of the future and about why the South African wine industry needs our help in these difficult times.
You can follow Rosa on Instagram @kruger155. For more information about the Old Vine Project, go to the OVP website.
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 winemakers

Thursday Jul 30, 2020
Cork Talk with Veronique Drouhin
Thursday Jul 30, 2020
Thursday Jul 30, 2020
Véronique Drouhin is a Burgundy institution. She’s not only one of the most important figures in Burgundy, she’s also one of the best liked. Véronique is part of the dynamic fourth generation running the négociant house of Maison Joseph Drouhin in Beaune. Tune in to hear her talk all about biodynamics, the place of women in the wine industry, her second life at Domaine Drouhin Oregon, climate change, where to find value for money in Burgundy and her twin passions for gardening and classical music.
You can follow Véronique on Instagram @veronique_drouhin. For more information about Maison Joseph Drouhin's wines, go to their website.
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 winemakers

Friday Jul 24, 2020
Cork Talk with Katie Jones
Friday Jul 24, 2020
Friday Jul 24, 2020
Katie Jones had been living in the Languedoc for 15 years, working for the Mont Tauch co-operative in Tuchan, when she decided to set up her very own domaine after buying a vineyard in Maury. Acquiring more and more parcels that “no one else wants”, she’s created a brilliant business from scratch. Hear her talk about local jealousy, French bureaucracy, tea towels, vineyard rambles, unusual grape varieties and her husband, Jean-Marc, affectionately known as Mr Jones.
To learn more about Katie and Domaine Jones, see her website. To follow Katie on Instagram and join her vineyard rambles, go to @domainejones
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 winemakers.

Friday Jul 17, 2020
Cork Talk with Francisco Baettig
Friday Jul 17, 2020
Friday Jul 17, 2020
Francisco “Pancho” Baettig is the winemaker responsible for three of Chile’s most iconic wines: Don Max, Seña and Viñedo Chadwick. Yet, despite being the man who has helped shaped the world’s perception of Chilean wine, modest Pancho says he can’t stand the label “icon”. Our talk ranges from Pancho’s experiences working for one of the most driven bosses in the wine world, to perfect 100-point scores, the benefits of growing Chardonnay on schist soils and his new project in Malleco, a stone’s throw from where his Swiss ancestors arrived in South America.
To learn more about Errázuriz, see the company's website. To follow Francisco Baettig on Instagram, go to @franciscobaettig
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 winemakers.

Friday Jul 10, 2020
Cork Talk with Victor Urrutia
Friday Jul 10, 2020
Friday Jul 10, 2020
Victor Urrutia was 29, happily living and working in Brazil, when he got the call from his father to come back and run CVNE, the family wine company that was founded back in 1879 in Haro. A reluctant appointee, he intended to stay for 12 months, but is still there 17 years later. Listen to him talk (in perfect English) about single vineyards, climate change, modern and traditional styles, Basque nationalism and what he would change in Rioja if he were king for a day.
To learn more about CVNE, see the company's website. To follow CVNE on Instagram, go to @cvnevino
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 winemakers.

Thursday Jul 02, 2020
Cork Talk with Jean-Marie Fourrier
Thursday Jul 02, 2020
Thursday Jul 02, 2020
Jean-Marie Fourrier is a Burgundian superstar, but his winemaking life hasn’t been easy. At the age of just 23, he took over a failing domaine in Gevrey-Chambertin with five unsold vintages piled up in the cellar, a state of affairs that forced him to take day trips to Belgium to sell bottles to supermarket customers. This week on Cork Talk, Jean-Marie reveals how he turned Domaine Fourrier into one of the most respected names in the Côte d’Or. Not to mention his views on flying, the price of vineyards, climate change, being married to an Englishwoman and his new partnership with Bass Phillip in Australia.
To follow Domaine Fourrier on Instagram, go to @domaine_fourrier.

Friday Jun 26, 2020
Cork Talk with Gaia Gaja
Friday Jun 26, 2020
Friday Jun 26, 2020
This week’s episode is a juicy one featuring – no hyperbole here – the amazing Gaia Gaja. Gaja is Barbaresco’s most famous winery and Gaia is the fifth generation of her family to run it. Her father, Angelo Gaia, is the man credited with changing the Italian wine scene forever, but make no mistake, Gaia is very much her own person. Funny, passionate and intelligent, she talks to me about gelato, climate change, Etna, the differences between Nebbiolo and Sangiovese and why she communicates with her father by letter rather than in person.
To follow Gaja on Instagram, go to @giovannigaja. Or take a look at the winery's website

Thursday Jun 18, 2020
Cork Talk with Susana Balbo
Thursday Jun 18, 2020
Thursday Jun 18, 2020
Susana Balbo is extraordinary in many ways. Not only did she become Argentina’s first female oenologist in 1981, she’s also won countless awards for her entrepreneurism as well as her winemaking. She’s three times been president of Wines of Argentina, was a Congresswoman for the province of Mendoza, and is one of the country’s most internationally celebrated winemakers. Suffice to say, Susana is one formidable interviewee and this week’s guest on Cork Talk. She talks to me about what makes a successful businesswoman, why she loves Cabernet Sauvignon more than Malbec, and how she’s learnt about politics the hard way. An unmissable interview.
To follow Susana Balbo Wines on Instagram, go to @susanabalbowines. Or take a look at the winery's website

Thursday Jun 11, 2020
Cork Talk with Chris Alheit
Thursday Jun 11, 2020
Thursday Jun 11, 2020
My guest this week is one of South Africa's leading young guns. Chris Alheit of Alheit Vineyards is perhaps best known as the producer of cult wine Cartology, first produced as recently as 2011. Chris makes only white wines, focusing particularly on single vineyard Chenins from distinguished parcels of old vines. Together with his wife, Suzaan,he has created one of the most successful wineries in South Africa in less than a decade. These things don’t happen by accident – as you’ll discover when you listen to Chris talk about the hard work which has got them to where they are today
To follow Chris on Instagram, go to @chrisalheit. Or take a look at the Alheit Vineyards website

