Wine Relief approaching

This biennial wine trade fundraising programme has raised a total of 2 million since 1999 for the seriously disadvantaged in the UK and Africa, and has established itself as Comic Relief's most admired trade initiative.

This year, the fundraising period starts in early February and culminates in Red Nose Day on Friday 16 March.

All the big retailers (with the exceptions of Oddbins and Asda) have already chosen their Wine Relief wines from which 10% of the retail price will go to Comic Relief's carefully managed long-term projects. Many thanks to all suppliers materially involved in this.

But the ethos of Comic Relief, which is actively supported by well over 60% cent of the UK population, is that small contributions are every bit as welcome as the large ones.

We very much hope that as many wine professionals as possible will support Wine Relief, whether by sending their own contribution or, ideally, dreaming up their own fundraising scheme, of any sort.

All funds raised should be sent either as a cheque made out to Wine Relief (Comic Relief)' to Kate de Quidt, Comic Relief,

89 Albert Embankment, London SE1 7TP or by logging on to www.rednoseday.com/winerelief, where there will be a donation button.

Incidentally, Wine Relief is an entirely different cause from the trade's own very deserving Benevolent Association.

I support both, and hope very much that others will too.

Jancis Robinson MW

• Harpers Says...