Cork Talk with Marco Ventrella

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 pairings to persistent wine myths. To read more about Sam have a look at her Mistress of Wine website. You can also follow her on Instagram at @themistressofwine. 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. 

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 as the best way to farm them. To read more about Marco have a look at the wine.co.za website. You can also follow him on Instagram at @marco.ventrella.35 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. 

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 have no fear of change. To read more about Fernando have a look at the Bodegas Frontonio website. You can also follow him on Instagram at @fernandomoramw. 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. 

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 out of the current crisis. To read more about Bryan have a look at the MacRobert & Canals website. You can also follow him on Instagram at @macrobertandcanals. 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. 

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 Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Gris. To read more about Kate have a look at the Moorooduc website. You can also follow her on Instagram at @kateandpx. 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. 

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 palate and a wry sense of humour. To read more about Christopher have a look at the Europvin website. You can also follow the company on Instagram at @europvin. 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. 

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 should be made “as God intended”. To read more about Alex have a look at the Institute of Masters of Wine website. You can also follow him on X at @AlexHuntMW 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. 

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 interview with a bit of fado. To read more about Charles have a look at the Association of Wine Educators'  website. You can also follow him on Instagram at @thewinesinger.  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. 

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 Noir, Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon. To read more about Craig have a look at the Restless River website. You can also follow him on Instagram at @restlessrivervineyards. 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. 

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 Vieja, one of Europe’s most active volcanoes. To read more about Vicky have a look at the Spanish Wine Lover website. You can also follow her on Instagram at @torrespecis. 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.