The Tim Atkin Cork Talk Podcast

Chester Osborn of d’Arenberg is one of the wine trade’s rock stars. He’s known almost as much for his loud shirts, zany labels and Aussie sense of humour as he is for his great wines. Listen to us talk about organics and biodynamics, Grenache and Shiraz, Malaysian swingers and the Alternate Realities Museum inside the d’Arenberg cube.

To read more about Chester's wines, have a look at the d'Arenberg website. You can also follow him on Instagram @darenbergwine. 

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.

Elías López Montero is the most celebrated winemaker in Castilla-La Mancha. He’s seemingly single-handedly bringing the world’s largest wine region to new consumers, and changing its downbeat, bulk-wine image in the process. We talked about old vines, the widely planted but underrated Airén grape, tinajas, (as clay pots are known locally), and, with climate change in mind, what Elías is planting for the future.

To read more about Elías' wines, look at the Verum website. You can also follow him on Instagram @eliaslopezmontero. 

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.

Michel Friou is not afraid of challenges. Today he runs Almaviva in Chile, where he’s helped to enhance the reputation of one of the New World’s greatest reds. But before that, he worked at a sparkling wine factory in Southern India. And before that, as a forestry engineer in Borneo. Not the normal career trajectory for a notable winemaker, but a fascinating one nonetheless. We talked about oysters, joint-ventures, Carmenère and how Chile has changed over the last 25 years.

To read more about Michel's wines, look at the Almaviva website. You can also follow the bodega on Instagram @almavivawinery. 

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.

 

Dorli Muhr has two wine careers. As well as running a PR and marketing company in Vienna that represents many leading producers worldwide, she’s also been making her own range of wines on the Spitzerberg in Carnuntum since 2002. Listen to us chat about the wonders of the Blaufränkisch grape, the growing quality of Austrian red wines, and the vineyard her grandmother was given as a wedding present back in 1918.

To read more about Dorli's wines, look at the her website. You can also follow her on Instagram @weingutdorlimuhr. 

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.

 

Sergio Verrillo moved to the United Kingdom from the United States for love. Once he was here, he got a job as a junior sommelier in a Gordon Ramsay restaurant and developed an equally passionate and enduring relationship with wine. Working out of the urban Blackbook winery in London, he’s now making some of the best still reds and whites in England. We talked about his Italian relatives, Essex terroir, why he hates Bacchus and the story behind his “I’d Rather Be A Rebel” label.

To read more about Sergio's wines, look at the Blackbook Winery website. You can also follow him on Instagram @blackbookwinery. 

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.

 

One of the founders of Rioja ’n’ Roll, Tom Puyaubert is part of an exciting new generation that’s helping to redefine Spain’s most famous region. Born in the southwest of France, he decided to become a winemaker after a spell working at a winery in Virginia, USA, of all places, going on to set up his own winery, Bodegas Exopto, in 2003. We talked about minority red grapes like Graciano and Maturana Tinta, the toasty world of oak barrels and what Tom would change in Rioja if he were in charge for a day.

To read more about Tom's wines, look at the Bodegas Exopto website. You can also follow him on Instagram @tomexopto

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.

 

Kanonkop has only had three winemakers since its first vintage in 1973 and Abrie Beeslaar is arguably the most successful of the lot, surpassing the achievements of his illustrious predecessors. Listen to us chat about the legacy of Paul Sauer, the underrated delights of Pinotage, accolades and 100-point scores and why the wheel of progress turns very slowly at Kanonkop. 

To read more about Abrie's wines, look at the Kanonkop and Beeslaar websites. You can also follow him on Instagram @beeslaar_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 world’s most extraordinary wine figures.

A Catalan to his fingertips, Ricard Rofes is the winemaker at Scala Dei in Priorat, in charge of one of Spain’s greatest historic properties. A lover of Garnacha, Ricard talked to me about monks, heretics, co-operatives, slate soils and why his native region is returning to its roots after taking a wrong turn towards Bordeaux in the 1990s.

To read more about Ricard's wines, look at the Scala Dei website. You can also follow him on Instagram @rrofes

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.

Daniel Daou was born in Lebanon, brought up in France and now lives in the United States. After selling the software business he created with is brother in the late 1990s, he decided to follow his dream and become a winemaker in Paso Robles, California after scouring the world in search of the perfect spot. We chat about Cabernet Sauvignon, affordable luxuries, why grapes should be treated like food and about the missile attack that changed his life for after.

To read more about Daniel's wines, look at the Daou Vineyards website. You can also follow him on Instagram @daniel.j.daou

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.

Sebastián Zuccardi started out making sparkling wines at school for fun (as you do), before working in vineyards overseas for seven years. Since he returned full time to his family’s winery in Santa Rosa, he’s transformed its fortunes, switching the focus to the cooler Uco Valley and producing some of Argentina’s finest wines in the process. We talked about limestone, Malbec, olive oil and why he prefers concrete tanks to oak barrels.

To read more about Sebastián's wines, look at the Zuccardi website. You can also follow him on Instagram @szuccardi.

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.