England joins bloggers' top table

This year’s European Wine Bloggers' Conference kicks off on Friday in the northern Italian city of Brescia in Franciacorta with a sell-out Sparkling Wine Masterclass, including a brace of English bubblies.

Fresh from its top podium position in Thesis, the Dutch wine competition, RidgeView’s Cavendish 2009 will be joined by Denbies’ Cubitt Reserve 2006, the winery's first Pinot Noir sparkler, with the duo rubbing shoulders against pairs of Champagnes, top Cavas, plus two sparklers from pioneering New York wineries and a vintage Franciacorta fizz.

Two-hundred wine bloggers from over 30 countries in Europe and beyond are heading to Franciacorta in Lombardy for a long weekend of tasting, talking and typing. Last year’s conference saw over 1000 wines sampled, so it’ll be a busy few days. This year generic bodies such as Chile, Chianti, Austria, Friuli and, of course, resident hosts and main sponsor, Franciacorta are involved.

"I was delighted when co-organiser Robert McIntosh got in touch for a few suggestions," said DrinkBritain.com founder, Susanna Forbes. "It's a measure of how far English and Welsh wines have come that they are being actively sought for such an interesting event."

50 bloggers have signed up for Friday’s session, led by Stefano Botturi, head sommelier of the 1 star Michelin restaurant, Ristorante due Colombe, with other participants offered the chance to sample in a walk-around tasting later in the morning.

Coincidentally, Franciacorta’s winemaking history may be seen as somewhat similar to that of England & Wales: it’s only in the last half-century that sparkling wines have spearheaded its reputation for quality.

RidgeView's appearance in Brescia tops an extraordinary week for the winery: on Tuesday it heard that it had, once again, received the top sparkling wine trophy from the International Wine & Spirit Competition for the 2007 vintage of its Blanc de Blancs, the Grosvenor.