Pub culture may not seem like the most pressing topic of conversation for the Italian Wine Podcast, but it is a topic that came up in recent interviews with two award-winning wine journalists.
Katie Mather is a Lancashire-based drinks culture and food writer, and Deputy Editor and Wine Lead at the independent drinks publication Pellicle. She has been writing about beer, wine, cider, non-alcoholic drinks, and food since 2018, quickly earning recognition with a Silver award for Young Beer Writer of the Year from the Guild of Beer Writers. Katie also writes the newsletter The Gulp, which won Silver for Best Short-Form Beer Writing at the 2024 British Guild of Beer Writers Awards. In 2025, she expanded into luxury adventure travel writing for The Independent, and released her self-designed zine A Place To Be, published by Pellicle.
Andy Neather is a wine and food journalist, award-winning author and environmental communications leader. Along with Jane Masters, he is the co-author of Rooted in Change, the Stories Behind Sustainable Wine (see Episode 2547 Interview with Jane Masters). The Italian Wine Podcast interview with Andy Neather goes live on 20 March 2026.
The Italian Wine Podcast took the opportunity to ask Katie and Andy what pub culture means, why some cultures are more predisposed to it than others, and the opportunities for wine in the evolving pub landscape.
Listen to the Full Interview with Katie Mather:
What is pub culture?
While the concept of viticulture (the science, study, and practice of cultivating grapevines for winemaking) is well documented, it can seem rather pompous to speak about pub (or beer) culture in quite the same way.
Of course, the social drinking and community-focused atmosphere of the “Public House” has existed for centuries, but the concept of “pub culture” is a relatively modern term used to describe this deep-seated, traditional British and Irish social institution.
So, pub culture is the social tradition, predominant in the UK and Ireland, where “public houses” serve as community hubs for drinking, relaxing and socializing. The “pub” provides an informal, cozy atmosphere, acting as a “third space” outside the home and the workplace. Pubs were traditionally rooted in working-class communities, serving as important social, recreational, and, at times, political hubs, particularly during the period of 19th-century industrial expansion. They provided warmth, comfort and community for working people often living in cramped, overcrowded conditions.
It should be said, however, that pubs have historically been predominantly male-only spaces. For centuries, they functioned as social hubs for masculine camaraderie, with women often banned, restricted to certain limited areas like “snugs” or “ladies’ lounges,” or otherwise made to feel unwelcome. Indeed, this is a point made in conversation with both Katie and Andy, while recognizing that pubs are now much more welcoming and accessible than ever before.
Why are some cultures more predisposed to pub culture than others?
Another question raised in conversation with Katie and Andy is why some cultures are more predisposed to pub culture than others.
Pub culture is certainly more prominent in regions like the UK and Ireland, and that’s for a variety of historical, cultural and climatic reasons. Basically, harsher climates drive socialization indoors.
Cold, rainy, or damp climates (like those of Northern Europe) necessitated warm, indoor spaces. In contrast, warmer climates (like Italy and France, for example) favor open-air cafés, terraces or piazzas for community interaction. Historically, working-class households in the UK had limited space, making the pub an important refuge for urban dwellers in the industrial areas.
While Northern European cultures often favor cozy, indoor public spaces (pubs/taverns), Southern Europeans prefer café/piazza culture, while North Americans may be more dispersed or focused on private, home-based entertainment. In Italy, the family and the church remain important pillars of society. In the UK, with the greater dispersal of families and the decline of church going, the pub is an important gathering place. Where else would you want to go on a wet Sunday afternoon?
Culturally, in the UK and Ireland, alcohol consumption is deeply integrated into daily life, often viewed as a social activity in its own right. Furthermore, alcohol doesn’t necessarily have the same intrinsic relationship with food that it does in Italy, for example.
While Italy, of course, has a deeply rooted, social drinking culture centered around the “bar”, Italian bars tend to provide a wrap-around service from morning coffee to evening aperitivo, that is distinct from British-style pubs. Italian bars offer a social and generally moderate drinking experience. They tend to be versatile all-day establishments for coffee, pastries, snacks, and alcohol. In the early evening, bars, particularly in northern Italy, fill up for aperitivo – a social drink (e.g., Spritz) accompanied by light bites. While that means that a bar may be busy between six and eight in the evening, Italians tend to disperse for dinner. Pubs in Italy, where they exist, generally model themselves on the Irish or UK experience, but they tend to open only in the evening, with little apparent appetite for afternoon drinking. Indeed, drinking in Italy is rarely about “getting drunk”. Alcohol is integrated into meals or as a social treat rather than the primary reason for going out, with public intoxication, generally frowned upon.
What is the role of wine in pub culture?
While Andy and Katie agree that pubs are overwhelmingly places to drink beer, they have both observed a certain evolution in the availability and quality of wine in pubs in recent years. Wine has evolved from a niche offering to a key element in modern pub culture, enhancing food pairings in gastropubs, attracting mixed-gender clientele, and increasing profitability through premium by-the-glass options. Wine can be a convivial alternative to beer, and a lower-alcohol option than a cocktail. While some pubs take wine seriously, many still serve whites too cold, reds too warm, and fill glasses to the brim, which detracts from the experience, especially if served in a low-quality glassware. For the traditional pub-goer, however, beer remains the drink of choice.
Why is pub culture important?
The UK pub industry is worth an estimated £25 billion, representing a resilient, growing sector with projections showing further growth in 2026 despite the significant headwinds of high operating costs, falling rates of consumption, and labour shortages. Wine is now a crucial revenue driver for the UK pub industry, with it being the most popular choice for 32% of drinkers. Again, despite significant challenges (massive duty hikes and shifting consumer habits), the UK is the second largest wine importer in the world by both volume and value with an estimated £33 billion generated by wine. In pubs, wine and spirits together account for approximately 34% of sales, with white wine the preferred choice. While beer remains the overall volume leader, wine consumption has seen a significant long-term growth, with Prosecco and Pinot Grigio due to their, respectively, celebratory appeal and light, consistent quality.
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Listen now to Episode 2608 of the Italian Wine Podcast with Katie Mather.
Coming soon: Interview with Andrew Neather on 20 March 2006.
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