The Science of Wine, Brighton Science Festival

Fancy seeing how to turn water into wine? Well head on over to the Brighton Science Festival where Plumpton’ College’s Dr Belinda Kemp will be showing you just how this is done. (She’ll also be turning it back into water, but somehow that doesn’t sound so interesting!)

Also, do you fancy yourself as a good judge of taste. By using a simple test, Belinda will be able to see just how good your tastebuds are – could you be a Supertaster or even a Hypertaster? Head along and find out.

While Brighton’s Science Festival is a month-long fiesta taking place throughout Brighton, Belinda will be weaving her magic as part of Big Science Saturday at the Sallis Benney Theatre, at 2pm.

Her merry band of helpers include Plumpton’s winemaking guru, Tony Milanowski, Emma Rice who runs her own contract winemaking outfit, Custom Crush, and Simon Woodhead, whose vineyard Stopham was recently in the news when Jancis Robinson MW nominated his Pinot Gris as her Wine of the Week.

Big Science Saturday, Saturday 25 February, 10am–6pm
Sallis Benney Theatre, 58-67 Grand Parade Brighton BN2 0JY; ages 16+
Tickets £10 / £6. Available on the door or online here

And if all that gets you thirsty, why not stick around and join Astronomy in the Pub? Head to Horns Lodge, one of the darkest village pubs in the area, for a “lights out” evening, in association with BBC Stargazing Live. With plenty of telescopes set up there will be amateur astronomers on hand to help guide you round the stars. If it is cloudy, computer technology will be brought into use to see what’s behind the clouds.

Astronomy in the Pub, 6-12pm, Horns Lodge, A275, South Chailey, BN8 4BD, 01273 400422, all ages