Born in Dundee, close to what the calls “the Côte d’Or of raspberries”, Norrel Robertson got interested in wine through a part-time job at Oddbins. After passing the Master of Wine and studying viticulture and oenology in New Zealand, he visited Calatayud in Aragón in 2003 and has never left. A self-confessed Garnacha nut, the Escocés Volante, or Flying Scotsman, has gone on to become one of Spain’s most dynamic winemakers. (Sorry for the slightly scratchy recording!)

To read more about Norrel have a look at the Escocés Volante website. You can also follow him on Instagram at @escocesvolante.

Don’t forget, Cork Talk is now available on Spotify as well as Apple Podcasts. 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 stints working at Sainsbury’s and in a Guildford nightclub, Daniel Lambert set up his own wine business in 1992 and has turned it into an award-winning success story, specialising in French wines. I caught up with him from his new home in Montpellier to discuss his outspoken criticism of the UK’s proposed new alcohol duty scheme, the role that Sauternes played in his early career, what he’s learnt from being dyslexic, going viral on Twitter and which regions offer the best value for money.

To read more about Daniel have a look at the Daniel Lambert Wines website. You can also follow him on X at @DanielLambert29.

Don’t forget, Cork Talk is now available on Spotify as well as Apple Podcasts. You can listen to this week’s episode, plus my back catalogue of interviews with some of the world’s most extraordinary wine figures. 

Anne Kriebehl MW arrived in London to study English literature at university with two suitcases and a rucksack. After publishing her first piece about the 50th anniversary of the end of rationing in the Financial Times, she slowly moved into wine writing and has never looked back. Hers is an inspiring tale of perseverance and talent, leading to the Master of Wine qualification and recognition as an expert on Pinot Noir and German wines.

To read more about Anne have a look at the Institute of Masters of Wine website. You can also follow her on Instagram at @anneinvino.

Don’t forget, Cork Talk is now available on Spotify as well as Apple Podcasts. You can listen to this week’s episode, plus my back catalogue of interviews with some of the world’s most extraordinary wine figures. 

Giuseppe Vaira is a second generation winemaker who thought of becoming a doctor but chose to join the business created by his pioneering father Aldo instead. Our fascinating chat covered what he calls the "tiramisu" of Barolo's soils, the best way to handle Nebbiolo in the vineyard and winery, his love of "ugly duckling" grapes like Dolcetto and why organic farming enables the Vairas to get the best out of their terroirs. 

To read more about Giuseppe have a look at the GD Vajra website. You can also follow him on Instagram at @giuseppe_gdvajra.

Don’t forget, Cork Talk is now available on Spotify as well as Apple Podcasts. You can listen to this week’s episode, plus my back catalogue of interviews with some of the world’s most extraordinary wine figures. 

Auctioneer, author and film producer, Andrew Caillard MW has just published The Australian Ark, his magisterial, three-volume history of Australian Wine. I caught up with him from Adelaide to talk about the peaks and troughs of the last 236 years, the iconic bottles that make up his Canon of Australian wine, old vines, the individuals who have had the greatest impact on wine Down Under and his cautious optimism about the future.

To read more about Andrew and The Australian Ark have a look at the book's website.  

Don’t forget, Cork Talk is now available on Spotify as well as Apple Podcasts. You can listen to this week’s episode, plus my back catalogue of interviews with some of the world’s most extraordinary wine figures. 

Born and brought up in New York, where she made wine with her father in the basement of their house as a kid, Natalie Oliveros had a very successful career in the Adult Entertainment Industry as Savanna Samson before buying a majority stake in La Fiorita in Brunello di Montalcino in 2014. Our fascinating chat covered society’s attitude to sex, her love of Sangiovese, celebrity wines, organic viticulture and how climate change is affecting Tuscany.

To read more about Natalie have a look at the La Fiorita website. You can also follow her on Instagram at @natalie_lafiorita. 

Don’t forget, Cork Talk is now available on Spotify as well as Apple Podcasts. You can listen to this week’s episode, plus my back catalogue of interviews with some of the world’s most extraordinary wine figures. 

Jancis Robinson is the world’s leading wine writer, acknowledged as such by consumers, the wine industry and her peers. She has a weekly column in the Financial Times, her own website, jancisrobinson.com, and has authored a series of landmark books about her chosen subject. I caught up with her from her home in London to talk about food, tasting, writing, communicating, her favourite wines and what it was like meeting the Queen.

To read more about Jancis have a look at the her website. You can also follow her on Instagram at @jancisrobinson. 

Don’t forget, Cork Talk is now available on Spotify as well as Apple Podcasts. You can listen to this week’s episode, plus my back catalogue of interviews with some of the world’s most extraordinary wine figures. 

The Prüms are one of the oldest wine families in Germany’s picturesque Middle Mosel region. The family business, J.J. Prüm, is now run by Katharina Prüm, who is as charming and amusing as she is intelligent. Listen to us chat about tradition, Fortnum & Mason and Oklahoma, the differences between the estate’s two great vineyards, Wehlener Sonnenuhr and Graacher Himmelreich, and the eternal beauty of Riesling.

To read more about Katharina have a look at the J. J. Prüm website. You can also follow the winery on Instagram at @jjpruem.

Don’t forget, Cork Talk is now available on Spotify as well as Apple Podcasts. You can listen to this week’s episode, plus my back catalogue of interviews with some of the world’s most extraordinary wine figures. 

Part of an extensive, wine-focused family known in Bordeaux as “les Lurtons du vin”, François Lurton runs a successful global business that has estates in southern France, Spain, Chile and Argentina, places where he finds it “easier to breathe”. Our fascinating chat covered everything from cherry trees to different Malbec clones, flying winemaking to the Dakar rally, natural wines to the differences between Chile and Argentina.

To read more about François have a look at the Domaines François Lurton website. You can also follow the bodega on Instagram at @francoislurton.

Don’t forget, Cork Talk is now available on Spotify as well as Apple Podcasts. You can listen to this week’s episode, plus my back catalogue of interviews with some of the world’s most extraordinary wine figures. 

Born into a famous winemaking family in Tuscany, Piero Incisa della Rocchetta had a brief spell as a banker in Geneva, before he dedicated himself to his first love, Pinot Noir. At Bodega Chacra in Patagonia, he’s made some of the finest examples of the variety in South America, as well as a pair of brilliant Chardonnays with the Burgundian guru Jean-Marc Roulot, using biodynamic, low-intervention methods to get the best out of a great terroir.

To read more about Piero have a look at the Bodega Chacra website. You can also follow the bodega on Instagram at @bodegachacra.

Don’t forget, Cork Talk is now available on Spotify as well as Apple Podcasts. You can listen to this week’s episode, plus my back catalogue of interviews with some of the world’s most extraordinary wine figures.