What a whirlwind week it’s been. Miss Earlywood and I flew in to Lisbon a couple of days early in order to take in the Lisbon sights, scene, food and wine – the calm before the storm.

Take 1 – You have to visit Lisbon

I love this city! Not too big and not too small. Big enough to fill 3-4 days without having the feeling you’ve missed anything. Lots to discover.

Take 2 – Culinary treats, great value wines out the yin-yang and man, do they know their coffee

My favourite place to eat was RESTAURANTE BEIRA GARE (R. Primeiro de Dezembro), a stone’s throw from the Theatre. As the first rule of thumb goes – if the locals eat there, you should too. This is not the kind of place to go on a first date since the set-up is all but romantic but if you happen to score on the night of your first date after it being spent in that “other place” (and yes, that goes for the gals too), it’s the place to “regenerate” the day after with a medley of tasty tid-bits, protein loaded bacalhau and vinho verde… then go home and start all over again. Yes, you know what I mean. Recommendation: the pork sandwiches if pork is your thing!!! Yummé!

Coffee – I had the fortune of enjoying every cup ordered. Even the drip coffee in the hotel (VIP Hotel Lisbon – viphotels.com) was very good. In a perfect world, great coffee would be served everywhere. Unfortunately, we don’t live in a perfect world.

Take 3 – The EWBC an overview

Thanks to Gabriella and Ryan Opaz (Catavino.net) in coop with Andrea and Emidio of the Adegga team (adegga.com) and Robert McIntosh of (wineconversation.com), the conference was a huge success. The logistic details for such an event are endless and everything worked like a fine oiled machine. When Robert asked “Who can’t connect to the internet?” in a room with 100 people and only four raised their hand, my thought was WOW! Only 4? And you know what? Andre and Emidio DID get those four people online.

Not only were the conference sessions well organised, questions & open discussions were encouraged and many took part. The eclectic mix of participants, languages, backgrounds and projects was overwhelming. Everyone mingled, there was absolutely no feeling of competition and everyone seemed to be genuinely interested in what others were doing.

The events organised around the conference had something for everyone and the sponsors didn’t skimp a bit. Very impressed I was and kudos to the progressive Portuguese wine scene. A definite highlight in anyone’s calendar, a guided tasting with the Douro Boys (douroboys.com) which took place on Friday the 31st! And not only that, followed up by a trip to Douro with the Boys opening up their cellars and dining rooms for the lucky 30 or so who were lucky enough to take part on the following Monday and Tuesday. My head is still spinning. Another tip when visiting the Douro Valley – Aquapura Hotel (aquapurahotels.com). There’s 5 star and there’s 5 star. Enough said!

There were also various trips on the Sunday, three to be exact, to choose from. Miss Earlywood and I chose to go to Tejo where we visited Quinta da Lagoalva to take part in a wine tasting as well as visit their cork oak groves and then on to visit Amorim, the world’s largest cork producer.

Not to mention the fabulous and numerous wine tastings and dinners organised around the conference. I now have to go on a diet – but that’s nothing new.

Take 4 – The EWBC and why I hope it takes place in 2010

The Wine Blogging scene in Europe is quite large but in my opinion it’s puttering along with quick tools and is having trouble shifting gears because of it… keeping up at such a quick pace without a map isn’t easy. But the great thing is, everyone I met loves to drive and wants to get better at it (myself included). None of the participants were resting on their laurels and progression was surely the general objective, regardless of how long or how often one’s been blogging or has been in the wine industry – and yes, there were some very seasoned professionals in attendance.

The energy and motivational level was very high and the feeling you were taking part in something new, something with potential, was quite electric. The only way is up and that’s a good thing.

In my opinion, it’s extremely important that the EWBC take place in 2010, regardless of where it is, in order to keep up the momentum currently won. The objective should be to progress exponentially by next year and take things to the next level. Without a goal such as the EWBC to look forward to, it will surely be more difficult.

I would love to see people working more collectively. Not just by adding buddy links but through creative exchange. If you feel you’re missing a resource (photography, writing, video, tech stuff, whatever…) find it one way or another and give back. We aren’t going to do this as loners.

Take 5 – What I’d like to see at the EWBC in 2010

Blogger Case Studies – a yearly review of three or four blogs based on the practical use of things learned at the 2009 EWBC.

Video Blogging Workshop (hardware, software, conception shooting, editing and sound basics) Choosing 2 or 3 volunteers to conceive a EWBC trailer, shoot footage over 2 days time, edit it on the spot and have a showing at the closing dinner?

Hhhmmmm – more to come if I think of anything! Any suggestions??

In conclusion – an experience I won’t forget anytime soon. I met so many people I can’t wait to see again and you know what? I’m sure I will!

You can expect a vid soon and I’d love to hear your feedback :-)

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PS: In addition to those mentioned above, greetings also go out to the following people (in random order) – thanks for adding to the great time I had:

20 Dollar Wine Blog – Jason Mancebo
Reign of Terroir – Ken Payton
Wine and Dined – Jill and Andi Freedmann
Spiltwine – Louis Villard
Uncorked in the Alps – Julia Sevenich
1000corks.com – Sam CRUSHER KOWALSKI
Art After Science – Zev Robinson
Miss Vicky Wine – Anne-Victoire Monrozier
MocaMedia – Gwen Alston
The Wine Maestro – Brett Jones (man, why weren’t you on the Benny Hill cast??)
Dan Carbon – Symington Family Estates
BKWine – Per Karlsson

The 2009 European Wine Bloggers Conference (EWBC) will take place in Lisbon, Portugal, from October 30 – November 1, 2009. Bringing together bloggers of all backgrounds including: winemakers, wine writers, marketers, foodies, retailers and distributors from around the world, this year’s conference will address, “The Future of the Social Wine Brand”.

Founded and organized by Gabriella and Ryan Opaz of Catavino, and Robert McIntosh of The Wine Conversation, the 2008 conference, in La Rioja, Spain, was the first international event for Wine Bloggers and the first of a growing series of conferences and events under the “Wine Bloggers Conference” banner. In addition to the annual European event, there is also an annual US event based in California and plans to include a series of local events beginning in 2009 and 2010. Our goal is to create a network of wine bloggers across the globe to spread information, broaden the culture of wine, improve industry standards, and above all else, create a physical space to communicate and share ideas.

The Social Wine Brand is the sum of interactions and relationships created by a wine brand through social media platforms in order to improve its overall sales. Bloggers are key to this process and the EWBC will bring together bloggers, with different roles to play, to learn from each other – wineries who are creating the brands, reviewers who are evaluating and sharing them, and retailers who are delivering the brands to the customer and generating the revenue in this value chain.

The 2009 European Wine Bloggers Conference programme will include several panel sessions addressing topical subjects for all online wine communicators, as well as several streams of smaller group sessions to generate and nurture some practical discussions.

The 100 wine bloggers expected at the EWBC 2009 will not only attend a wide range of educational sessions, but also visit several key wineries within easy reach of Lisbon in addition to a host of traditional Portuguese meals. The entire event will provide ample opportunity for bloggers to experience the food, wine and culture of Portugal, all while discussing issues pertinent to the future of the social wine brand.