Best timatkincorktalk Podcasts (2025)

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Cork Talk with Charlie Melton 40:11

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5d ago40:11

40:11

Charlie Melton was on a road trip across Australia when he got a part-time job as a cellar hand in the Barossa Valley. More than 50 years later, he’s still there, having created his own winery in 1984 and turned it into one of Australia’s most iconic producers. A lover of Grenache, dry-farmed, historic vineyards and wines that “take you to a place”…

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Cork Talk with Willy Pérez 41:59

12d ago41:59

41:59

Willy Pérez originally wanted to be a musician, but after surviving cancer in his late teens, he decided to follow his father, Luis, into the wine business. A passionate defender of traditional Sherries and vinos de pasto based on vineyard origin rather than maturation and fortification, he’s one of the key figures in Spanish wine, a profound think…

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Cork Talk with Marquis Sauvage 40:55

20d ago40:55

40:55

Marquis Sauvage got into wine when he was at college in Colorado, beginning with White Zinfandel of all things. After opening Denver’s first wine bar, he moved into distribution before creating his own winery, Burn Cottage in Central Otago in New Zealand. A lover of hearty food, heavy metal and fine Burgundy, Marquis is passionate about biodynamics…

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Cork Talk with Spyros Zoumboulis 39:34

26d ago39:34

39:34

Spyros Zoumboulis is a Greek winemaker with an international perspective, having worked in France, Argentina and Bulgaria as well as his native country. Following his motto of “maximum nature, minimum intervention”, he’s a specialist in biodynamics and natural wines. A fan of great rosés, old vines and Greece’s fund of indigenous grapes, he’s a man…

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Cork Talk with Cherie Spriggs 41:58

1M ago41:58

41:58

Cherie Spriggs was born in Canada, but has made her name in England at Nyetimber as one of the world’s leading sparkling winemakers. A classically trained pianist, she says she likes to think of blending her wines in musical terms. Our fascinating conversation covered her love of running, her drive for perfection, the differences between grapes fro…

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Cork Talk with Sam Harrop 42:07

1M ago42:07

42:07

Sam Harrop MW is an Auckland-based consultant winemaker with a cosmopolitan outlook, a man who has been influenced by the time he’s spent in Spain, Japan and the United Kingdom. An advocate of what he calls “beautiful simplicity” in wine, Sam is as happy discussing Frank Lloyd Wright, Sake and the Zen aesthetic as he is talking about Brettanomyces,…

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Cork Talk with Paul Cluver 41:13

2M ago41:13

41:13

Paul Clüver’s family has owned De Rust Estate in Elgin since the 1890s, but it wasn’t until 1987 that his neurosurgeon father, also called Paul, planted the first vines there. Now regarded as one of the leading cool climate producers in South Africa, Paul Clüver Family Wines has grown and prospered under his stewardship, specialising in Chardonnay …

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Cork Talk with Jorge Drexler 58:14

2M ago58:14

58:14

Musician, Oscar winner and wine lover, Jorge Drexler was a successful doctor in Montevideo before he became a celebrated singer songwriter, or cancionista as he puts it. Our in-depth, hour-long chat covered some profound themes – identity, immigration, inspiration, Artificial Intelligence and the effects of the pandemic – as well as more personal s…

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Cork Talk with Adrianna Catena 44:26

2M ago44:26

44:26

Adrianna Catena is a distinguished historian specialising in the expansion of the Spanish empire in the 15th and 16thcenturies, as well as a partner in two wine projects: El Enemigo in Mendoza and El Reventón in Gredos. Our fascinating discussion covered lots of topics: empowering women in the vineyard, the origins of the conquistadors, Das Kapital…

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Cork Talk with Felipe Müller 41:14

2M ago41:14

41:14

Felipe Müller’s dad has never drunk alcohol, but that didn’t stop his son studying viticulture and oenology. After a formative spell working alongside Marcelo Retamal at De Martino, he moved to Viña Tabalí in the limestone-rich Limarí Valley in 2006, where he’s built areputation for making some of Chile’s best reds, whites and fizzes. Among the lea…

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Cork Talk with Sam Caporn MW 42:41

3M ago42:41

42:41

Sam Caporn got into wine by accident at university when a friend of her twin sister suggested she run what amounted to a drinking club. Her subsequent career has included jobs in retail, wine buying and journalism. She passed her Master of Wine at the first attempt in 2005, winning the Bollinger award for the best taster. Author of The Wine Flavour…

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Cork Talk with Marco Ventrella 42:47

3M ago42:47

42:47

Marco Ventrella ran restaurants and nightclubs as a young man, but switched to a very successful career in wine in his late twenties. Now established at the KWV as one of the best viticulturists in South Africa, he claims, with considerable modesty that “with each vintage, I feel I know less rather than more”. He’s a fascinating guide to the differ…

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Cork Talk with Fernando Mora MW 40:57

3M ago40:57

40:57

Fernando Mora MW originally trained as a mechanical engineer, but decided he wanted to become a winemaker after visiting Rioja as a tourist. A passionate defender of old vines and local varieties, especially Garnacha, he’s become one of the key figures in the renaissance of the wine scene in his native Aragón. Entirely self-taught, he says that the…

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Cork Talk with Bryan MacRobert 40:54

3M ago40:54

40:54

Bryan MacRobert grew up on a farm near Cape Town and always wanted to be a winemaker. Working for Eben Sadie in Priorat gave him the chance to travel to Spain, where he’s lived with his oenologist wife Clara Canals since 2012. One of the new generation of vineyard-focused Rioja producers, he has strong view about good farming, the wisdom of old way…

1
Cork Talk with Kate McIntyre 41:32

3M ago41:32

41:32

Kate McIntyre MW’s parents were pioneers in the cool climate of Victoria’s Mornington Peninsula, but her initial intention was to be a theatre director rather than join the family business. Now she’s an essential part of Moorooduc Estate, working alongside her dad, Richard. A passionate Europhile, experienced show judge, wine writer and educator, s…

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Cork Talk with Christopher Cannan 40:22

4M ago40:22

40:22

Christopher Cannan has worked in the international wine business for more than 50 years, representing some of the greatest producers through his company Europvin as well as making his own wine, Clos Figueras, in the Catalan region of Priorat. Fluent in at least four different European languages, he’s a Bordeaux-based citizen of the world, who can l…

1
Cork Talk with Alex Hunt 41:47

4M ago41:47

41:47

Master of Wine Alex Hunt is a published journalist and a prodigiously talented musician – his first love, he says – who has a very busy day job as purchasing director of Berkmann Wine Cellars in London. Impressively articulate and knowledgeable, he has informed views on everything from the difference between blind and sighted tastings to fine Burgu…

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Cork Talk with Charles Metcalfe 43:30

4M ago43:30

43:30

Charles Metcalfe is both a singer and a wine writer, someone who has combined the two jobs for more than 40 years. An expert on the wines of Spain and Portugal – where he now lives with his wife and fellow scribe Kathryn McWhirter – he’s a great raconteur. Our chat covered everything from daytime TV to food and wine matching, airline wines to the b…

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Cork Talk with Craig Wessels 40:12

4M ago40:12

40:12

Craig Wessels started his own media company after dropping out of university, but he’d always wanted to be a farmer. After a three-day winemaking course in Stellenbosch, he decided to give it a go when he and his wife, Anne, bought a property in the Upper Hemel-en-Aarde Valley in 2004. Entirely self-taught, he’s since turned Restless River into one…

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Cork Talk with Vicky Torres 43:23

5M ago43:23

43:23

Vicky Torres didn’t produce wine until she was 35, but she’s certainly made up for it since. Her expressive, artisanal, wines – be they white, red, or sweet - are among the finest in the Canary Islands and increasingly sought after around the world. She’s the perfect person to interview about the island’s terroirs, climate and grape varieties, as w…

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Cork Talk with Martin Krajewski 46:01

5M ago46:01

46:01

Martin Krajewski left school wanting to be a golf pro but got a job in the City that ended up making him a fortune instead. Focused full-time on the wine business since 2008, he now owns two properties in Bordeaux - Château Séraphine in Pomerol and Clos Cantenac in Saint Emilion – where he works alongside his winemaker daughter Charlotte. One of th…

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Cork Talk with Matt Wilkin 42:04

5M ago42:04

42:04

Matt Wilkin’s parents were teetotal, but that didn’t put him off going into hospitality or developing a passionate interest in wine. After a couple of harvests in Australia, he carved out a career as one of the best sommeliers in the world, becoming a Master Sommelier and winning the UK title in the same year. Over the space of 40 minutes, we discu…

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Cork Talk with Gerd Stepp 40:01

5M ago40:01

40:01

Gerd Stepp was brought up on a grape and apple farm in the village of Bad Dürkheim. After working in wineries in Italy, Zimbabwe and South Africa, and a spell as a buyer for Marks & Spencer, he returned to his roots to set up his own wine business in the Rheinpfalz. Our fascinating chat covered his love of the African bush, Cabernet Franc, his tale…

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Cork Talk with Mary Bridges 41:21

6M ago41:21

41:21

Mary Bridges grew up on a farm in Inverness and worked in a Michelin starred restaurant before deciding she wanted to be a winemaker. After a vintage in France, she got a job at top English producer Gusbourne and has been there ever since. Our conversation covered vintage differences, the contrasting merits of grapes from Kent and Sussex, the futur…

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Cork Talk with Felicity Carter 51:09

6M ago51:09

51:09

Felicity Carter is a journalist who specialises in the business of wine. More recently, she’s become an acknowledged expert on health and alcohol policy, interviewing several of the key figures in the sector on her Drinks Insider podcast. I chatted to her from her home in Germany about the French paradox, the j-shaped curve, the World Health Organi…

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Cork Talk with John Duval 39:14

6M ago39:14

39:14

John Duval is one the legends of the Australian wine industry. He’s known for his work as chief winemaker at Penfolds, where he was in charge of making Grange (among others things), and as the head of his eponymous family winery since 2003. I caught up with him from his beloved Barossa Valley to chat about Shiraz, old vines, his love of Priorat, Ch…

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CorkTalk with Toti Undurraga 39:46

6M ago39:46

39:46

Toti Undurraga’s family have been well known in the Chilean wine industry since the late 19th century, but he was always determined to forge his own path. After six years overseas, he returned to set up Koyle in Los Lingues. Today he works on both sides of the Andes – at Casas de Bucalemu in the Leyda Valley and Doña Paula in Mendoza. A passionate …

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Cork Talk with Jen Parr 44:24

6M ago44:24

44:24

Jen Parr started out working in the software industry after studying English and Spanish literature at university, but moved into the wine business after she did a harvest in Gaillac. Thirty three vintages later, and still entirely self-taught, she’s one of best winemakers in New Zealand, a woman with a passion for Pinot Noir, a great palate and ba…

1
Cork Talk with Elizabeth Gabay 41:39

7M ago41:39

41:39

Elizabeth Gabay MW was born in New York, grew up in London and has lived in the French Alps for the last 20 years. Following a mixed early career in journalism, publishing and the theatre, she set up her own wine company after doing a tasting course at Christie’s. Almost by accident, she was asked to write a book about rosé, a style of wine she cla…

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Cork Talk with Rod Smith 41:02

7M ago41:02

41:02

Rod Smith began his working life as an illustrator but moved into wine after landing a part-time job at Oddbins. After a brief spell in the fine wine world in London, he upped sticks to the Côte d’Azur to supply the superyacht industry. Now running his own business, the Riviera Wine Academy, he was recently appointed chairman of the Institute of Ma…

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Cork Talk with Praisy Dlamini 41:40

8M ago41:40

41:40

Brought up on a sugar cane farm in Kwa-Zulu Natal, where her parents were teetotallers, Praisy Dlamini got a bursary from the Department of Agriculture when she was 16 and went to study winemaking in the Cape. Her meteoric career has taken her from a spell at Distell to a job as the general manager of Adama Wines, where she runs an all-female team …

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Cork Talk with Roman Roth 40:32

8M ago40:32

40:32

Roman Roth was brought up in the Black Forest, where his father was a cooper, but decided to become a winemaker in his teens. After vintages in California and Australia, he got a job at Wölffer Estate Vineyard on Long Island in 1992 and has been there ever since. Funny, creative and fond of singing to his wines, he’s a natural interviewee with a we…

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Cork Talk with Tom Gilbey 43:26

8M ago43:26

43:26

Tom Gilbey’s family have worked in the wine and spirits trade since the mid-19th century – they had a famous gin as well as owning a Bordeaux château – so it was natural that he would follow in their footsteps. In his time, he’s been a winemaker, a merchant and, more recently an educator, wine writer and Internet sensation thanks to a dip in an ice…

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Cork Talk with Dawn Davies 40:32

8M ago40:32

40:32

Dawn Davies is a Master of Wine who also specialises in spirits. Originally a top sommelier at restaurants like Zuma and The Ledbury, she moved into retailing at Selfridges and is now buying director at Speciality Drinks and the Whisky Exchange. An extrovert and confirmed “people person”, she has well-informed views about things as varied as wine s…

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Cork Talk with Carmelo Peña Santana 42:51

9M ago42:51

42:51

Growing up in Las Palmas, Carmelo Peña Santana’s dream was to have his own restaurant. But after working as a sommelier for a year, he became a winemaker instead, travelling to Portugal and Chile before returning to the Canary Islands to set up three of his own projects on Gran Canaria and Lanzarote. Our in-depth discussion provides a fascinating i…

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Cork Talk with Leo Erazo 40:08

9M ago40:08

40:08

Leo Erazo has made wines on five different continents, but these days he’s exclusively associated with the Itata Valley, Chile’s most historic wine region. I caught up with him from his bodega beside the Pacific to talk about his love of Cinsault, what it’s like working in what he calls the last pocket of the Old World in the southern hemisphere, w…

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Cork Talk with Gus Zhu 43:46

9M ago43:46

43:46

Gus Zhu started out studying horticulture at university but caught the wine bug when he attended a tasting class given by one of his professors. Since then, his rise has been meteoric. He was the first Chinese national to pass the Master of Wine exam at the age of 31. Today he combines his day job as a research scientist in California with a second…

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Cork Talk with Noel Young 40:59

9M ago40:59

40:59

Noel Young’s dad ran a pub, so you could say he was born into the booze trade. He brewed his first beer at the age of 15 and set up his own very successful wine business, Noel Young Wines, in his early twenties. A man who has always believed in doing things his own way, championing countries whose wines he loves, like Australia, Austria, Greece and…

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Cork Talk with Kelli White 42:11

10M ago42:11

42:11

Kelli White’s love of wine was sparked by a trip to Paris as an undergraduate and a student job in a Boston retail store. After working as a sommelier in New York and the Napa Valley, she became a full-time writer and educator in 2015. Her brilliant latest book, Wine Confident, draws on 25 years of experience to talk in a refreshing new way about t…

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Cork Talk with Chris Blandy 43:05

10M ago43:05

43:05

Chris Blandy of the Madeira Wine Company is the seventh generation of his family to live and work in the wine trade on this volcanic island. A native with a passion for history and science, he understands the complexities of Madeira – the place and the drink - as well as anyone. Our in-depth chat covered grape varieties, soil types, fortified and u…

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Cork Talk with Callie Louw 40:33

10M ago40:33

40:33

Callie Louw wanted to be a doctor when he was young, but the wine world should be grateful he ended up studying oenology instead. More of a farmer than a winemaker – what the French would call a vigneron – he’s been involved with Porseleinberg in the Swartland since 2009, planting and overseeing the running of one of the Cape’s unofficial Grand Cru…

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Cork Talk with Konstantin Baum 45:19

10M ago45:19

45:19

Konstantin Baum is a German Master of Wine with a well-honed sense of humour, increasingly famous for his You Tube videos that bring a bit of fun as well as knowledge to the subject. An entrepreneur, journalist, educator and taster, he’s a fascinating interviewee with interesting views on everything from influencers to the 100-point system, the val…

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Cork Talk with Rafael Palacios 40:24

10M ago40:24

40:24

Rafael Palacios was more interested in motorbikes than wine until his early twenties, despite growing up above a bodega in Rioja. He’s certainly made up for the late start, going on to become one of Spain’s most celebrated winemakers. Our in-depth chat covered his love of Godello, his time in France and Australia, the different terroirs of Valdeorr…

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Cork Talk with Elizabeth Berger 46:30

11M ago46:30

46:30

Elizabeth Berger is a Tuscany-based wine and olive oil expert, who is able to draw fascinating parallels between the two worlds. Where wine has grape varieties, olive oil has cultivars, more than 700 of them planted around the world. Our in-depth chat covered the Mediterranean diet, the different quality levels of oil – what makes something extra v…

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Cork Talk with David Baverstock 39:54

11M ago39:54

39:54

David Baverstock grew up in South Australia, but emigrated to Portugal for love and wine. He started out in the Douro Valley, before moving to the more southerly Alentejo, where he now works for the Winestone Group. Our insightful chat covered his time in Beaujolais with Marcel Lapierre, Portugal’s 250 indigenous grape varieties, how the country’s …

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Cork Talk with Martín Kaiser 41:32

12M ago41:32

41:32

Martín Kaiser excels as both a viticulturist and a winemaker. Born and brought up in Mendoza, where he still works and lives, he has transformed the reds and whites of Doña Paula since he arrived in 2006, taking them back to their roots. Our fascinating chat covered everything from vegetarianism to climbing mountains, calcium carbonate to the joys …

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Cork Talk with Queena Wong 42:06

12M ago42:06

42:06

Queena Wong got interested in wine when she moved from Australia to London to work in finance in her mid-twenties. A passionate collector, she also has a well-honed talent for connecting people, acting as a Fairy Wine Godmother. Through her company Curious Vines, she has campaigned for greater diversity, inclusion and equality within the wine indus…

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Cork Talk with Giorgi Dakishvili 40:19

12M ago40:19

40:19

Giorgi Dakisivhili is one of Georgia’s most accomplished winemakers, a man who’s equally comfortable employing historic and modern techniques. One of a family of oenologists, he studied in the Ukraine and California before returning to his native Kakheti region, where he set up Dakishvili Family Vineyards. Our wide-ranging conversation covered ever…

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Cork Talk with Pieter Walser 40:50

1y ago40:50

40:50

Pieter Walser is one of the wine industry’s great mavericks. Surfer, artist and creator, he’s the man behind some of the Cape’s most distinctive labels, famous for brands such as Family Murder, Little William and Moment of Silence. I caught up with him from his home near the ocean to chat about surfing, epilepsy, old vines, white gloves, adventurou…

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Cork Talk with Jane Anson 43:26

1y ago43:26

43:26

Author of Inside Bordeaux, Jane Anson started out as a journalist in Hong Kong but fell in love with wine on a trip to South Africa. She moved to France full time in 2003 and has since become one of the world’s most admired and influential wine critics. Our in-depth chat covered everything from tasting technique to wine websites, the future of En P…

Timatkincorktalk Podcasts