Ep. 2639 Sustainable Wine Stories: Climate, Bottling & Reasons for Optimism with Andrew Neather | Book Club with Richard Hough

Welcome to Book Club and Episode 2639 of the Italian Wine Podcast with Richard Hough. In this episode, Richard is in conversation with the wine journalist and author Andrew Neather. Andy is the co-author of Rooted in Change, the Stories Behind Sustainable Wine.

This conversation explores Andy’s career as a journalist, sustainability in the wine sector, including climate change and bottling, his reasons for optimism in 2026, the relationship between wine and beer and the nature of pub culture and wine's role in it.

Richard’s interview (Ep. 2547) with Jane Masters MW, the co-author of Rooted in Change is available online at: https://www.italianwinepodcast.com/Episodes/ep-2547-rooted-in-change-with-jane-masters-mw-book-club-with-richard-hough/  or wherever you get your podcasts!

Further reading:

• Andy’s entry to the Jancis Robinson 2023 wine writing competition about his father, Edward Neather. https://www.jancisrobinson.com/articles/wwc23-edward-neather-andrew-neather 
• The Friends of the Earth Organic Wine Guide (2000) by Monty Walden
• The Bottle Weight Accord https://swroundtable.org/action-areas/the-bottle-weight-accord/ 
• Why I’m excited for wine in 2026 by Andy Neather, https://aviewfrommytable.substack.com/p/why-im-excited-for-wine-in-2026 
• From hard-drinking city to foodie mecca by Andy Neather, https://aviewfrommytable.substack.com?utm_source=navbar&utm_medium=web 
• The Get Yourself a Glass podcast with Andy Neather and Victoria Moore is available wherever you get your podcasts!
• Lone Wolf, Walking the Line between Civilization and Wildness, by Adam Weymouth
• SPQR by Mary Beard

About today’s guest:

Andrew Neather is an award-winning wine and food journalist and author with more than 30 years of professional experience. His work spans journalism, public affairs, and strategic communications.

In addition to writing about wine and food, Neather has extensive experience in thought leadership, stakeholder communications, social media, and community engagement, particularly in the fields of environmental issues and transport infrastructure. He spent 11 years as Comment Editor at the London Evening Standard, where he developed significant expertise in media and public discourse.

Earlier in his career, Neather also worked as a speechwriter for the UK Prime Minister, gaining in-depth knowledge of government and public affairs. Today, he continues to contribute to wine journalism and is the co-author of Rooted in Change: The Stories Behind Sustainable Wine.

Connect: 

Substack: https://aviewfrommytable.substack.com/ 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/andrew_neather/ 

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrew-neather-b7957b151/ 

 

More about the host:

Richard Hough is the editor, translator and project curator behind The Art of Wine Storytelling, Wine Democracy and Vine and Prejudice. He has also published several books about life in Verona, chronicling the city’s history, culture and daily life, not forgetting, of course, its wine, including Verona Campione, published in May 2025. With a long-standing passion for whisky and beer, he’s a relative newcomer to the world of wine and is now desperately trying to make up for lost time! He is the host of Book Club on the Italian Wine Podcast.

Connect:

Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/rickhough.bsky.social 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/verona_campione 

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rickhough/

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Until next time, Cin Cin!