The Tim Atkin Cork Talk Podcast

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 and Pinot Noir. As smart as he is articulate, Paul is a ...

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 stuff, such as his favourite wine regions, fellow musicia...

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 and how she and Ale Vigil came up with an award-winning...

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 leading winemakers in South America, Felipe knows his country’s terroirs as well as anyo...

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 Guide, Sam has informed views on everything from food p...

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 different climates and terroirs of the Western Cape, as well a...

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 most important ingredient of his success has been to ha...

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 ways, the potential of the region’s white wines and the way...

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, she’s the ideal person to chat to about Australian Chardo...

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 look back over the last century with a sharp eye and pala...

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 Burgundy prices, Beethoven piano sonatas to how Garnacha shou...

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 benefits of self-published books. And he closed the inter...

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 of the finest estates in South Africa, famous for Pinot...

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 well as what it’s like to live in the shadow of La Cumbre...

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 the men behind the modern rosé revolution, he’s a fascinat...

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 discussed everything from wine lists to storytellers, Burgund...

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 talents as a long-distance runner and why Riesling might...

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 future of English Pinot Noir and the freedom that comes from ...

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 Organization, Prohibition, safe drinking levels, Big Tobacco a...