If he hadn’t been such a mediocre student, Rodrigo Soto wouldn’t have been assigned the unpopular subject of organic viticulture for his university thesis. But that decision changed his life. Since then, he’s become a pioneer of organic wine in Chile and now at Quintessa in California. We talked about what he learned from biodynamic guru, Alan York, why vintage variation is a good thing, the complexity of the Napa Valley’s terroirs, and how he plans to take Quintessa to the next level.

To read more about Rodrigo’s wines, have a look at the Quintessa website. You can also follow him on Instagram @quintessawinery

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