On the grapevine

It is English Wine Week which means dozens of vineyards will be open for visits and tastings. In this region, Ryedale Vineyards at Westow York (YO10 7LS) is open today for a tutored tasting of eight wines with a finger buffet, £20 (ring for tickets 01653 658507). They are also open tomorrow between 2pm and 4pm for wine sales while next Sunday there will be a vineyard tour and tasting starting at 2pm, £5 a ticket.

Summerhouse Vineyard in Skelbrooke, Doncaster (DN6 8NB) will be open between noon and 6pm next weekend for tours and tastings, ring 01302 721688.

Yorkshire Heart Vineyard in Nun Monkton (YO26 8EL) will be open Saturday and Sunday this weekend and next from 11am until 4pm for tours and tasting.

Fading fizz

It is the kind of research that really didn't need to be done, but Taittinger decided to find out what happened when they drank their fizz at different altitudes in a hot air balloon. Complete with a sensory food scientist, they floated above Gloucestershire up to 2,500ft, 5,000ft and then 10,000ft and discovered that the bubbles grew bigger as the atmospheric pressure fell and the aromas also diminished, but this could have been "because they were moving at around 12 knots".

YP MAG 29/5/10