Cork Talk with Donovan Rall

Donovan Rall is one of South Africa’s gentle giants, a former second-row rugby player with the touch of a pianist. After spells overseas in New Zealand and the Rhône Valley, he came back to the Cape and started his own eponymous brand in 2008, finding immediate success. Best known for his single-site Chenin Blancs and Syrahs, he’s also a brilliant blender and a fan of lesser-known grapes such as Cinsault Blanc, Grenache Blanc and Cinsault. To read more about Donovan have a look at the Justerini & Brooks website. You can also follow him on Instagram at @ralldonovan. 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.  

Jason Lett is a second-generation Oregon winegrower, who took over from his father David, one of the region’s pioneers in the 1960s. After a degree in plant ecology, he completed his studies at what he calls UCD – the University Close to Dad. The relationship wasn’t always easy, but Jason has pushed Eyrie Vineyards to new heights of quality since 2005, producing some of America’s finest cool climate reds and whites. To read more about Jason have a look at the Eyrie Vineyards website. You can also follow him on Instagram at @eyrievineyards.  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.    

Adriana Ochoa is the sixth generation of her family to make wine in Navarra, but the first to have studied in Bordeaux and worked in Australia. Since she took over from her father, Javier, in 2004, she’s been responsible for moving Bodegas Ochoa towards organic farming, harnessing technical progress in the vineyard and winery to understand and improve on the past. She’s the perfect person to talk about one of Spain’s most exciting regions.  To read more about Adriana have a look at the Ochoa website. You can also follow her on Instagram at @adrianaochoa8a 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.    

Does listening to music affect our impression of wine? Some professional tasters argue that only silence will do. Susan Lin is the ideal person to give us some answers, as she’s both a professional pianist and someone who wrote her Master of Wine Research paper on classical music and the sensory perception of Non-Vintage Champagne. Our chat provided a deep dive into the world of cross-modal correspondences – and so much else besides. To read more about Susan have a look at her website. You can also follow her on Instagram at @susanrlin. 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.    

Antonio Amorim runs the biggest natural cork company in the world. He took over the reins in 2001 at a time of existential crisis for the industry because of TCA - cork taint - and the rise of alternative closures, but has overseen important changes, not least the creation of a cutting-edge Research & Development department. He knows the cork industry as well as anyone and is very happy to share his knowledge of what he calls a "noble material”. To read more about Antonio have a look at the Amorim website. You can also follow the company on Instagram at @amorimcork. 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.    

Cliff Roberson has had an eventful and very successful career in the wine trade, spanning 60 years and taking him to New York, Bordeaux, Chile and back to his native London, where he runs the city’s original urban winery. Stylish, outspoken, funny and never afraid to try new things, he insists that most of the good things in his life have happened by him by accident. Still very active as he approaches his 85th birthday, he’s the perfect podcast guest. To read more about Cliff have a look at the Roberson website. You can also follow is urban winery on Instagram at @londoncru. 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.

João Portugal Ramos went to a German school in Lisbon, an education that has helped him bring a bit of organisation to his subsequent career. Among the key figures in the modern Portuguese wine revolution, he’s a champion of the Alentejo, Portugal’s largest region, and the Douro Valley, as well as native grapes such as Arinto and Touriga Nacional. Our conversation covered his remarkable, ground-breaking 40-year career in fascinating depth. To read more about João have a look at his website. You can also follow the winery on Instagram at @joao_portugal_ramos. 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.    

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”, he’s benefitted from hard work, talent and what he calls “serendipitous ignorance”. To read more about Charlie have a look at the Charles Melton Wine's website. You can also follow the winery on Instagram at @charlesmeltonwines. 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.    

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 thinker about climate change, as well as singing the praises of Palomino, the region’s most widely planted grape. To read more about Willy have a look at the Bodegas Luis Pérez website. You can also follow him on Instagram at @willyperezv.  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.    

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, basketball and attention-grabbing labels.  In short, he’s a hoot. To read more about Marquis have a look at the Burn Cottage website. You can also follow him on Instagram at @burncottagevineyard. 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.