The Tim Atkin Cork Talk Podcast

María José Granier fell in love with the old vines of the high-altitude Cinti Valley at first sight. A passionate advocate of arboreal viticulture as well as historic varieties such as Negra Criolla, Moscatel de Alejandría and Vischoquena, she and her winemaking sister, Mercedes, have helped to made Jardín Oculto one of the best bodegas in Bolivia. I caught up with the two of them to learn more about the country’s increasingly exciting wine scene. My apologies for the quality of the recording at the Bolivian end. To read more about Mercedes, María José and Jardín Oculto have a look at the winery's website. You can also follow them on Instagram at @jardinocultowines. Don’t forget, Cork Talk is now available on Spotify as well as Apple Podcasts, where you can listen to this week’s episode, plus my back catalogue of interviews with some of the world’s most extraordinary wine figures.      

Michael Silacci grew up on a dairy farm in the San Francisco Bay Area but didn’t discover his calling in life – wine – until he did a harvest in the Loire Valley in his mid-twenties. After jobs at Beaulieu and Stag’s Leap in California and at King Estate in Oregon, he joined Opus One in 2001. He’s been at this celebrated Napa Valley project ever since, refining the style and cementing Opus’s status as one of the New World’s most sought-after wines. To read more about Michael have a look at the Opus One website. You can also follow him on Instagram at @opus_one_winemaker. Don’t forget, Cork Talk is now available on Spotify as well as Apple Podcasts, where you can listen to this week’s episode, plus my back catalogue of interviews with some of the world’s most extraordinary wine figures.      

Richard Kershaw MW started out as a chef, but then switched to wine instead. After a spell at La Réserve in Hampstead, where the comedian Peter Cook was one of his clients, he worked as a cellar hand in various countries before moving to South Africa, perfecting his skills at Mulderbosch and Kanu before establishing his own eponymous label in 2012. He’s deep thinker as well as a passionate advocate of cool climate wines. To read more about Richard have a look at his website. You can also follow the winery on Instagram at @kershawwines. Don’t forget, Cork Talk is now available on Spotify as well as Apple Podcasts, where 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 musician by training, Ben Witchell moved into winemaking after a career in IT, working first in Beaujolais before setting up in his own venture, Flint Vineyard, with a tenant farmer in Norfolk’s Waveney Valley. He’s a person who likes to take a few risks, as well as being what he calls “bloody minded”, which may explain his success with the underrated Bacchus grape, Prosecco-style English sparkling wines and his boundary-pushing Labs Project. To read more about Ben have a look at the Flint Vineyard website. You can also follow the winery on Instagram at @flintvineyard. Don’t forget, Cork Talk is now available on Spotify as well as Apple Podcasts, where 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 talented singer and linguist, Anne McHale is a northern Irish Master of Wine who’s one of the best teachers in the business as well as gifted story teller. Our amusing, in-depth chat covered everything from tasting skills to religion, the joys of eating out in Lyon to what the Romans and Ancient Greeks liked to drink. No wonder so many students trust her to guide them through the Wine & Spirit Education Trust’s notoriously trick exams.  To read more about Anne have a look at her website. You can also follow her on Instagram at @annemchalewine.  Don’t forget, Cork Talk is now available on Spotify as well as Apple Podcasts, where you can listen to this week’s episode, plus my back catalogue of interviews with some of the world’s most extraordinary wine figures.  

Pierre-Henry Gagey is a passionate Burgundian who believes that his region is a “kind of miracle”, working at top négociant Maison Louis Jadot since 1985, including a 30-year stint as its president. Our extensive chat about what he calls “Big Burgundy” from Chablis to Beaujolais covered everything from wine prices to climate change, recent vintages to his love of Oregon. He’s a man with a sense of history and a vision of the future. To read more about Pierre Henry have a look at the Résonance Wines website . You can follow Louis Jadot on Instagram at @louisjadot. Don’t forget, Cork Talk is now available on Spotify as well as Apple Podcasts, where you can listen to this week’s episode, plus my back catalogue of interviews with some of the world’s most extraordinary wine figures.    

Matt Thomson and Sophie Parker-Thomson MW set up Blank Canvas Wines together in 2012, focusing on terroir-driven wines from single sites in the North and South Islands of New Zealand. Now numbered among the country’s top producers, they are something of a power couple, drawing on Matt’s extensive overseas experience and Sophie’s legal training and background as a journalist to produce world-class wines. To read more about Matt and Sophie have a look at the Blank Canvas Wines website . You can also follow them on Instagram at @blankcanvaswines. Don’t forget, Cork Talk is now available on Spotify as well as Apple Podcasts, where you can listen to this week’s episode, plus my back catalogue of interviews with some of the world’s most extraordinary wine figures.    

After spells in accountancy and advertising, Beverley Blanning decided that what she really wanted to do was write about wine, specialising in the Loire Valley, where she also has a house. She’s the ideal person to explain what makes this diverse, appealingly complex region so special, talking me through soil types, grape varieties, climate change, organic viticulture and the definition of what the locals call “vins ligériens”. To read more about Beverley have a look at the the Institute of Masters of Wine's website. You can also follow her on Instagram at @bevblanningmw. Don’t forget, Cork Talk is now available on Spotify as well as Apple Podcasts, where you can listen to this week’s episode, plus my back catalogue of interviews with some of the world’s most extraordinary wine figures.  

Eduardo Chadwick is one of the most significant figures in the Chilean wine industry. He’s the man behind such famous brands as Don Maximiano Founder’s Reserve, Seña, Las Pizarras and Viñedo Chadwick. A serial entrepreneur who’s never been afraid to take a few risks, including planting a vineyard on a former polo field, Eduardo is passionate about his native country and is always keen to compare his wines against the best of the world. To read more about Eduardo have a look at the Errázuriz website. You can also follow him on Instagram at @Eduardo.chadwick. Don’t forget, Cork Talk is now available on Spotify as well as Apple Podcasts, where you can listen to this week’s episode, plus my back catalogue of interviews with some of the world’s most extraordinary wine figures.  

Robin Copestick got into the wine industry by accident when he saw an advert in the window of a wine merchant in Maida Vale. That led to a 19-year-career at Moreno Wines, before he set up his own business, Copestick Murray, in 2005. A strong believer in wine brands, Robin developed I Heart Wines, which sells more than 30 million bottles around the world. But as he told me in the course of our chat, he’s had some failures along the way, too. To read more about Michael have a look at the Freixenet Copestick website. You can also follow him on Instagram at @robin.copestick. Don’t forget, Cork Talk is now available on Spotify as well as Apple Podcasts, where you can listen to this week’s episode, plus my back catalogue of interviews with some of the world’s most extraordinary wine figures.  

Michael Zaccagnini is a second-generation producer in Ribera del Duero, who trained under the legendary Mariano García, formerly of Vega Sicilia, as well as his late father, Javier. A lover of music and elegant expressions of Tempranillo, he’s a person who questions everything in the vineyard and cellar, constantly striving to make better wines. His talent and dedication have made him one of the best young winemakers in Spain. To read more about Michael have a look at the Sei Solo website. You can also follow him on Instagram at @seisolo_bodegas. Don’t forget, Cork Talk is now available on Spotify as well as Apple Podcasts, where you can listen to this week’s episode, plus my back catalogue of interviews with some of the world’s most extraordinary wine figures.  

Pierre Mansour caught the wine bug after drinking a bottle of 1982 Château Léoville-Las-Cases with his Lebanese dad while he was at university. After jobs at the Antique Wine Company, Berry Brothers and Vinopolis, he moved to the Wine Society in 2000, where he's been ever since. Now Director of Wine, he’s in charge of a team of buyers who are responsible for one of best – and best value – ranges on the planet. A passionate Hispanophile and music lover, Pierre is a fascinating, insightful interviewee. To read more about Pierre have a look at the Wine Society's website. You can also follow him on Instagram at @pierrethewinebuyer. Don’t forget, Cork Talk is now available on Spotify as well as Apple Podcasts, where you can listen to this week’s episode, plus my back catalogue of interviews with some of the world’s most extraordinary wine figures.  

Dr Christina Makris is a philosopher, art lover and wine writer, three passions that she’s combined in her latest book, Art In Vineyards, pairing the palate and palette, as she puts it. Our wide-ranging chat covered everything from aesthetics to Damien Hirst, Pablo Picasso to fine dining, wine tasting to public galleries. “The thinking is in the drinking” is one of her mottos and Christina certainly made me reflect about the way we appreciate food, wine and art. To read more about Christina have a look at her website. You can also follow her on Instagram at @christinavmakris. Don’t forget, Cork Talk is now available on Spotify as well as Apple Podcasts, where you can listen to this week’s episode, plus my back catalogue of interviews with some of the world’s most extraordinary wine figures.  

Dermot Sugrue could have made a living as a professional cyclist in Ireland, but a post-university harvest job in Bordeaux led to a career making wine in England instead. After successful spells at Nyetimber and Wiston, he’s been entirely focused on his own still and sparkling wine project, Sugrue South Downs, since 2022. He’s a great storyteller as well as a gifted, intuitive oenologist, a man who loves words as much as he does chalk and bubbles. To read more about Dermot have a look at the Sugrue South Downs website. You can also follow him on Instagram at @ermosug. Don’t forget, Cork Talk is now available on Spotify as well as Apple Podcasts, where you can listen to this week’s episode, plus my back catalogue of interviews with some of the world’s most extraordinary wine figures.  

Giles Cooke MW started his career at Majestic, before working for Scottish merchant Alliance Wine for 30 years. Since 2011, he’s also had his own distinctive brand in Australia, called Thistledown Wines, which is currently enjoying its most successful year ever. Giles has championed old-vine Grenache Down Under, especially from McLaren Vale, making elegant wines that are picked “on the way up” as he puts it, and he’s finally reaping the rewards. To read more about Giles have a look at the Thistledown Wines website. You can also follow him on Instagram at @giles.cookemw.  Don’t forget, Cork Talk is now available on Spotify as well as Apple Podcasts, where you can listen to this week’s episode, plus my back catalogue of interviews with some of the world’s most extraordinary wine figures.

Amanda Thomson was a successful TV journalist, interviewing the likes of Salman Rushdie and George Clooney, when she decided to give it all up and move to Paris to study wine. After making her name with the Skinny Champagne brand, she’s since developed a range of non-alcoholic wines under the Noughty label. I caught up with her to talk about spinning cones, bananas, Zebra striping, Steffi Graf and what makes a great entrepreneur. To read more about Amanda have a look at the Noughty website. You can also follow her on Instagram at @noughtyamanda. Don’t forget, Cork Talk is now available on Spotify as well as Apple Podcasts, where you can listen to this week’s episode, plus my back catalogue of interviews with some of the world’s most extraordinary wine figures.

Andy Neather worked at Friends of the Earth in the late 1990s, and it turned him into an environmentalist. Now a freelance journalist, he’s just co-authored a very timely book about wine and sustainability with Jane Masters MW. His research took him all over the world, looking at the effects of climate change and the broader challenges facing the wine industry. There are no easy answers, he says, but Rooted In Change plots a way forward. To read more about Andy have a look at his website. You can also follow him on Instagram at @andrew_neather. Don’t forget, Cork Talk is now available on Spotify as well as Apple Podcasts, where you can listen to this week’s episode, plus my back catalogue of interviews with some of the world’s most extraordinary wine figures.

Beaujolais suffers from a lot of myths that “don’t stack up”, according to Natasha Hughes MW, whose new book about the region is the most comprehensive yet. We sat down to talk about Beaujolais Nouveau, the characters of the ten Crus, the influence of the so-called Gang of Four, Gamay’s underrated diversity, the rise of Crémant de Bourgogne, the difference between semi and full-on carbonic maceration and so much more. To read more about Natasha have a look at her website. You can also follow her on Instagram at @latashmw. Don’t forget, Cork Talk is now available on Spotify as well as Apple Podcasts, where you can listen to this week’s episode, plus my back catalogue of interviews with some of the world’s most extraordinary wine figures.

Simon Farr’s career in the wine business spans 50 years, a half century that’s seen him work in vineyards, retail, wholesaling and the fine wine as well as investing in a pioneering venture in South Africa. A serial entrepreneur who says he’s a “very quick learner, eventually”, he has strong and well-founded views about Bordeaux en primeur, shifting demographics and why the younger generation is less scared of wine. To read more about Simon have a look at the Cru website.  Don’t forget, Cork Talk is now available on Spotify as well as Apple Podcasts, where you can listen to this week’s episode, plus my back catalogue of interviews with some of the world’s most extraordinary wine figures.

Regarded as one of the best winemakers in the world, with a particular love for Cabernet Sauvignon and other Bordeaux grapes, Chris Carpenter oversees seven different projects for Jackson Family Wines in the Napa Valley, Washington State and Australia’s McLaren Vale. Our in-depth conversation covered everything from mountain vineyards to tannin extraction, fog lines to climate change, The Beatles to Rohinton Mistry. To read more about Chris have a look at the Cardinale Winery website. You can also follow him on Instagram at @fatcarp73.  Don’t forget, Cork Talk is now available on Spotify as well as Apple Podcasts, where you can listen to this week’s episode, plus my back catalogue of interviews with some of the world’s most extraordinary wine figures.