Cork Talk with Katia Nussbaum

Katia Nussbaum was born in London, but has lived most of her life in Italy, where she and her partner Gigi have owned the highly regarded San Polino estate in Brunello de Montalcino since 1990. Always vineyard focused, she was one of the pioneers of organic farming in the region and is now experimenting with vitiforestry, planting maples among her vines to understand the fungal networks that are an essential part of nature. To read more about Katia have a look at the San Polino website. You can also follow the estate on Instagram at @brunello.san.polino.  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.

Xavier Rousset fell in love with wine on a family holiday in Collioure. After writing to fellow Frenchman Gérard Basset, one of the world’s most famous sommeliers, he got a job for a month at the Hotel du Vin in Winchester and has never looked back. A Master Sommelier at the age of 23, he is now an entrepreneur and businessman, running five different restaurants in London, but serving customers is still what he enjoys most. To read more about Xavier have a look at the Blandford Comptoir website. You can also follow him on Instagram at @rousset.x. 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.

Luke O’Cuinneagain grew up close to the vineyards of nearby  the Constantia Valley, but originally wanted to be a vet rather than a winemaker. A weekend job working at a cellar door changed all that. After a job at Rustenberg and a distinguished 14-year career at Glenelly, owned by Bordeaux grande dame May-Eliane de Lencquesaing, he is now in charge at Vergelegen, one of the Cape’s most historic estates, busy transforming the range and the vineyards for the better. To read more about Luke have a look at the Vergelegen website. You can also follow the winery on Instagram at @vergelegen_wine–estate.  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.

Born into a family of Methodists, half of whom were teetotal, Sarah Abbott ‘s wine journey began when got a job with specialist Burgundy merchant, Domaine Direct. Since 2008, she’s run her own company, Swirl, specialising in advising what she calls “emerging regions” like Georgia, Japan and Turkey. In 2021, she set up the Old Vine Conference with some friends during lockdown and has turned it into a tour de force. To read more about Sarah have a look at Swirl website. You can also follow her on Instagram at @sarahabbottmw. 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.

Mike Paul’s parents ran a hotel in Torquay, so maybe wine was part of his destiny. After a history degree, he got a job with Saccone & Speed, where he was in charge of Black Tower Liebfraumilch, among other things. A key figure in the success of Australian wines in the UK at Southcorp, as well as the South African brand, Kumala, he’s been a freelance consultant since 2006, working principally in the English wine industry, most notably at Gusbourne. To read more about Mike have a look at his 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.  

Kathy Burk grew up on a grape farm in California, but went into academia rather than viticulture, specialising in Anglo-American relations. Alongside her teaching and research, she continued to develop her love and knowledge of wine. Now a retired professor, she’s spent the last five years researching her remarkable new book, Wine: A Global History, which will be published in October. I caught up with her to hear all about it. To read more about Kathy have a look at this 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.

Sarah Hwang studied psychology at university in the United States, but moved into the wine business after her parents created a new estate in Tokaj, Domaine Királyudvar, in the late 1990s and bought the historic Domaine Huet in the Loire Valley in 2003. In charge of the latter estate since 2012, she’s a lover of Chenin Blanc in all its forms, as well as an insightful guide to the terroirs and very different vintages of Vouvray. To read more about Sarah have a look at the Domaine Huet website. You can also follow the estate on Instagram at @domainehuet. 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.

The son of an independent merchant, Harry Eyres was brought up visiting vineyards and cellars and has inherited his father’s love of wine and classical music. A published poet and author as well as a prolific journalist, he’s written about everything from painting to tennis, climate change to Brexit, as well, of course, about wine. An amusing raconteur, he’s a fund of good stories, accrued over the last 40 years. To read more about Harry have a look at this website. You can also follow him on Instagram at @eyresharry. 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. .

Stellios Boutaris is a fourth-generation winemaker who’s one of the key figures in the modern Greek wine scene, running both Kir-Yanni in Macedonia and Domaine Sigalas on the volcanic island of Santorini. A lover of both Xinomavro and Assyrtiko, two of the country’s most distinctive grapes, he has extremely topical views about sustainable viticulture in a changing climate and how Greece can sustain its global momentum. To read more about Stellios have a look at Kir-Yanni website. You can also follow him on Instagram at @stelliosboutaris. 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 university course in the historical geography of viticulture prompted Matt Gant to get on a plane from London to New Zealand to do harvest. Since then, he’s never looked back, working at St Hallett in Australia before setting up two projects of his own, First Drop and Gant & Co. Dividing his time between Western Australia and Quinta de Pedra Alta in the Douro, he loves living Down Under but still cheers for England when it comes to cricket. To read more about Matt have a look at The Gant & Co. website. You can also follow him on Instagram at @gantandcowines. 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.