Being a Guardian reader, you may have clocked it’s Fairtrade Fortnight, and if you’re also a Co-op customer you’re no doubt buying Fairtrade wine. I say this because the supermarket sells 76% of all the Fairtrade wine that’s sold in the UK – 60m litres of it – which also makes them the largest retailer of Fairtrade wine in the world. Plus, all their South African wine is Fairtrade, something I honestly don’t see why other supermarkets can’t emulate.
Fairtrade basically means a percentage of the money you pay goes to community projects, like the secondary school in La Rioja in Argentina that was partly funded by sales of wines, such as the Co-op’s attractively priced, hugely gluggable Fairtrade Bonarda Malbec (13%). Buy the most recent 2022 vintage rather than the 2021, though.
But not all Fairtrade wine is great. Historically it’s been on the cheap and not-always-so-cheerful side, so it’s good to see the Co-op listing a Fairtrade “fine wine” – the beautifully supple Finca Notables Malbec 2019 (14.5%), which is currently on offer in selected branches at £20. No reason, again, why we shouldn’t see more of this. Surely people who have money to spend on pricier bottles could be induced to support community projects, too?
And there’s now another way to support change in the wine industry, which is to buy wines made by winemakers of colour, or wineries owned by black entrepreneurs. There’s a lot more of them since I wrote about them back in 2020, mostly women and mostly in South Africa (although oddly they don’t seem to feature the fact on their labels). Whether that’s a feature of the innate conservatism of the wine trade and its customers, or the timidity of retailers and producers – who seem to be happy enough brandishing their eco-credentials – I don’t know. Even in the natural wine movement there’s a poor representation of non-white ethnic groups, which I guess won’t change until more graduates of colour emerge from winemaking courses.
In the end it’s up to us; buy more premium Fairtrade wines, buy wines made from South Africa’s talented black women winemakers and we’ll get more of them. Simple. And if your budget is tight there are some cracking deals on Fairtrade wines at the moment, too.
Five South African wines that make a difference
Amandla Our Future Sauvignon Blanc 2022 £7.49 (on offer)Waitrose, £9 Sainsbury’s, 12.5%. Bright, zesty, citrussy sauvignon made at a winery that is run entirely by black women. (The shiraz/zinfandel is good, too, if on the sweetish side.)
Catoria Petite Sirah 2020 £13.99 Angels exclusive at Naked Wines, 14.5%. This deliciously spicy red is an unusual variety for South Africa. Again, made by a black woman winemaker.
Journey’s End Night Watchman Shiraz Malbec 2021 £8.50 Co-op, 14%. Rich, generous, full-bodied Fairtrade red that would be perfect with steak.
Ses’fikile Chenin Blanc Roussanne 2020 £15 On Cloud Wine, 12.5%. Lush, textured Cape white blend that would be great with roast celeriac or cauliflower. Ses’fikile is a Xhosa word meaning “we have arrived”.
Vilafonte Seriously Old Dirt 2020 £22 Wine Society, £25 Waitrose Cellar, 13.5%. An elegant, supple bordeaux blend made from vines grown on some of South Africa’s oldest soils. Beautifully balanced.
For more by Fiona Beckett, go to fionabeckett.substack.com
