Master Sommelier Isa Bal was born and brought up in Turkey and – if you can believe it – didn’t taste his first glass of wine until he was 20. A job as a junior sommelier working at the Vineyard at Stockcross was just the beginning of an award-winning career that has seen him progress from The Fat Duck to co-owning his own restaurant, Trivet. Listen to us chat what makes a good and bad wine list, his passion for the historic wines of the Caucasus, how sommeliers have to be good psychologists and why he’s never bought a book about food and wine matching.

To read more about Isa, have a look at the Trivet website. You can also follow him on Instagram @isabal_ms.

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