Brighton Wine Week begins next Thursday, April 5 with ten days of tastings, trails, wine dinners and a wine and gin festival, at restaurants, bars and hotels in the city. Nick Mosley finds out more about some of the sparkling wines on offer.

Everybody loves a glass of fizz, and there’s plenty to choose from across Brighton Wine Week. The first event of the festival is a Villa Sandi Prosecco masterclass at Blanch House, the city’s original luxury boutique hotel on Atlingworth Street. Villa Sandi is one of Italy’s oldest and most prestigious Prosecco makers. These biodiversity-friendly denominazione di origine controllata (DOC) wines are exclusively from the Treviso region in the north east of the country and benefit from mineral rich soils and run off from the Dolomites.

“Guests will have their eyes opened as to what Prosecco should be like when it’s made properly and shows its true aromatic expression”, says James Reina of Villa Sandi. “And also the chance to listen to a very suave Italian convince you that nothing in life is better than Prosecco, and that Villa Sandi’s Prosecco is the very best”.

Staying with Italy, the critically acclaimed Pascere restaurant on Duke Street hosts a dinner featuring matched wines from the Emilia Romagna region on Tuesday, April 10.

“The Lambrusco grape is one of Italy’s oldest varieties and for me one of the most interesting and under-rated”, says Amanda Menahem of Pascere.

“Its reputation has suffered because of the poor quality sweet Lambrusco wines exported in the 1980s but actually Lambrusco produces premium dry sparkling wines worthy of DOC status.

“It is pale red in colour with aromas of strawberry and vanilla. It has a fine mousse as a result of the second fermentation in the bottle made in the same way as champagne. Its dry style and high acidity makes it great with food. Our head chef Johnny Stanford will be creating dishes to bring out the best of this and other lesser known sparkling wines from this region around Bologna”.

English wines will have a strong profile during Brighton Wine Week. Sussex vineyards Bluebell, Bolney, Stopham and Wiston. Ridgeview Wine Estate in Ditchling are collaborating on a number of events including a cheese and sparkling wine evening at La Cave à Fromage on Western Road, and the Food Lab: Emerging Talent lunch at Etch in Hove, which will feature seven of the city’s most talented young chefs.

“We are very excited to be participating in one of our favourite events – Food Lab – with the opportunity to pair with the talented young chef Sam Watson from the Ginger Fox”, says Mardi Roberts of Ridgeview.

“During wine week we are particularly highlighting our Ridgeview Cavendish 2014 – our pinot dominant blend. This classic elegant wine has red berry and honey aromas, rounded by hints of toast and almond on the palate and a long, lingering finish. It’s a complex and versatile wine which makes a wonderful accompaniment to food.”

Gusbourne Wine Estate is another celebrated English wine producer with vineyards in West Sussex and Kent covering a total of 90 hectares. They will be partnering with Fourth and Church in Hove on Thursday, April 12 for a tasting masterclass and wine pairing dinner.

“Gusbourne has produced some of the world’s most celebrated sparkling wines”, says Paul Morgan of Fourth and Church. “The first part of the evening will be spent on the shop floor with Gusbourne’s winemaker Charlie Holland and Henry Butler tasting and talking with some Fourth and Church snacks. The second part of the evening, for the lucky few, will commence in our private tasting room with a very special dinner menu, created to compliment some of Gusbourne’s older library wines and unique treats hosted and narrated by Charlie and Henry.”

American author Mark Twain famously said “too much of anything is bad, but too much Champagne is just right”, and if you agree then head to the Brighton Wine and Gin Festival at My Brighton hotel on Sunday, April 15 where grand marque Champagne house Vranken Pommery will be offering tasting masterclasses hosted by Miriam Watson.

For tickets and complete event listings visit www.brightonfoodfestival.com