Taste early, taste often if you want to find the best from home vintners

"Everybody wants this job," he said, cautiously sniffing a dry white rhubarb. "But if you swallow, as I do, it can get a bit tricky. You can drink some of these wines quite happily but nobody knows the alcohol content. Luckily, I don't have far to go."

The wine competition was making a comeback in the produce tent at Gargrave Show, between Skipton and Settle, and Mr Medlicott, a retired wine dealer, lives nearby, at Ayrton.

He chose an elderflower from the dry whites, a quince and apple from the sweet whites, a raspberry from the dry reds and a powerful elderberry from the sweet reds – all of them made, it turned out, by the same woman, Mrs B Taylor of Crook, near Kendal, who also did well in the poultry and eggs show.

Elsewhere, on Saturday, there was a sign of the times among the catering vans – a vegetarian specialist, offering falafel and cheesy chips instead of the usual sausages and bags of crackling, run by Graham and Ann Stead of Riddlesden (www.greenmachinefood.com).

They set up four years ago because they could never find anything to eat at shows and have been adding a short list of agricultural events to their more obvious market around the music festivals – and finding a small but enthusiastic market. They were due at Mirfield yesterday. "We tried to get into the Great Yorkshire but they said they already had baked potatoes," said Mr Stead.

The day started out glowering but turned out brilliantly.

There was local drama in the tug of war, where Upper Wharfedale YFC B team beat their own A team on the way to winning a final tussle with Lothersdale YFC.

And the fell race, three miles up Sharphaw Fell and back, disturbed a wasp nest at the show boundary, on Eshton Beck, which gave the ambulance service something to do. Winner was Duncan Birtwistle, 18, current British under-18 orienteering champion. First woman was Emma Flanagan of Rossendale, Lancs, an England team member. Among the under-17s, Alex Brown of Ingleton led the males and Pippa Barrett of Keighley the females.

RESULTS

DAIRY CATTLE

Supreme champion was the best Holstein Friesian – a cow from last year's winner, Brian Moorhouse of Bell Busk, near Gargrave, who bought her as a yearling. Reserve was the best Jersey – third-calver from Richard and Carole Saxby and family, Long Preston, Settle.

Best Ayrshire – second-calver from Ken Thornber, Chaigley, near Clitheroe.

Best Dairy Shorthorn – heifer from Mrs Alex Wilkes, Leyburn.

BEEF CATTLE

Supreme champion was the best Limousin – heifer in calf, from Richard Priestley, Denholme, near Keighley. Reserve was the best commercial beef animal – home-bred Lim-x bullock from Joseph, Trevor and Heather Stoney, Pateley Bridge.

Best other Continental – home-bred Blue bull from John Stephenson, Bordley, near Malham. Best native breed – Angus heifer from Peter and Maureen Stanley, Barkisland, near Halifax. Reserve – Hereford bull from Jayne Walker, Kirby Sigston, near Northallerton.

SHEEP

Supreme champion was best Texel – home-bred ewe from Margaret Perrings and daughters, Rathmell, near Settle. Reserve was Best Beltex – aged tup from James Garth & Son, Keasden, near Clapham, shown by Robert Garth and partner Kelly Armitage.

Best Mule – gimmer lamb from Alan Barnes, Great Harwood, near Blackburn.

Best Bluefaced Leicester – gimmer lamb from John Mason, Embsay.

Best Suffolk – one-shear ewe from Mark and Nicola Gornall, Pendleton, near Clitheroe.

Best butchers' lambs – under 40k, from Robert Garth and Kelly Armitage; over 40k, from Jack Thompson, Colne.

Best Jacob – two-shear tup from Gavin Howarth, Rebecca Green and Russ Turner, Skipton.

Best Teeswater – from Ruth Dawson, Abbeystead, near Lancaster.

Best Charollais – two-shear ram from Stephen Hodgson, Bedale.

Best Swaledale – aged ram from Bill Cowperthwaite, Malham Moor.

Best Dalesbred – aged ram from John and Jean Bradley and family, Pen-y-Ghent.

Best Zwartble – home-bred shearllng ram from Harry Preston, Bingley.

POULTRY

Best in show – Light Sussex Bantam from Stephen Ormerod of Houghton, near Preston.

HEAVY HORSES

Best in show – Shire mare from Richard Bedford, Hartshead.