Forthcoming excitements

Fancy a free meal (correction – meal for £5!) at Anthony's in Leeds; Bibendum, Chez Bruce, Cafe Anglais and Clarke's in London; Gidleigh Park in Devon; or Read's in Faversham?  Make sure you see the Financial Times this Saturday for details of Nick's amazing new restaurant promotion. Remember that back in 1993 he was the original begetter of Lunch for a Fiver, which has since spawned a host of newspaper restaurant promotions – mainly concentrating on pretty downmarket places. In the face of the next big economic downturn he has come back with a cracker of an idea. Read all about it!

Now I know times are hard, but that is going to make life for many people all over the world who are already much more deprived than us even harder. Which is why we are putting even more effort than ever before into this year's Wine Relief, the wine-related fundraising campaign for Comic Relief 2009.  Pièce de résistance on Red Nose Day, comically timed for  Friday the 13th of March, will be a seriously stunning Ch Latour Dinner at Berry Bros with some unparalleled auction lots. This is for the seriously uncrunched only but is in the most exceptionally good cause. Read more about it here. I will of course be giving far more details of the whole Wine Relief campaign over the coming weeks. You will not escape! As always with Comic Relief, pennies are welcome as well as pounds.

Bibendum Wine (nothing to do with the restaurant cited above) report that they still have tickets available for their 2007 burgundy tasting at the Royal Institute of British Architects next Wednesday evening, 14 Jan. Tickets are £30 for one, £50 for two. See here for more details. Other wine merchants holding similar tastings for  their customers over the next week or two include Howard Ripley, Genesis, J&B, Jeroboams, Montrachet, Berry Bros, Clarion, Lay & Wheeler, Haynes Hanson & Clark and Corney & Barrow. Milk thistle at the ready.

And then there is the Wine Barn tasting of fine, modern German wine next Monday evening on 12 Jan in Belgrave Square. Tickets £20 apiece. See details here.