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Fairtrade Fortnight: Fairtrade Wines

BY Andrew Barrow

1st Jan 2015 Drinks

Fairtrade Fortnight: Fairtrade Wines

Fairtrade fortnight is here and our Wine expert Andrew Barrow selects a few vivacious and tasty wines for us to try at home.

Fairtrade and Organic

My coffee of choice is Fairtrade. The bananas in the weekly Able and Cole Box are Fairtrade as are the Steenbergs herbs and spices I copiously add to my cooking efforts. Without getting into the debate, I firmly believe Fairtrade is more important than a product being organic; although that is important too. Environment or livelihood? Both preferably.

But when it comes to wine I barely give Fairtrade or organic a thought. With us now being in the middle of Fairtrade Fortnight it was high time to investigate.

 

Sauvignon Blanc

A couple of Sauvignon Blancs casually slipped into the Thursday Ocado delivery. Both from South Africa as it transpired.

Stellar Organics Sauvignon Blanc 2014 

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Currently down to a paltry £6.99 (£2 off) and is both Fairtrade and organic. While nothing to do with the wine inside, the bottle has a duck on the label – “Stellar’s Indian Runner Ducks are the highly efficient pest-control squad that roam the organic vineyards”. It’s a nice wine, softly vivacious with a leafy, limey, greengage edge.

 

Xaro Sauvignon 2013

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This is a different beast. There is still that core of cut grass and leafiness but coupled with a more gooseberry and blackcurrant complexity. Available from Ocado for £11.99. 'Xaro' is the Khoi word for 'gift'. This wine pays tribute and acts as a 'gift' to the community of more than 250 people working and living on Stellenrust Vineyards.

 

Researching Fairtrade

The word that I was researching Fairtrade wines spread through the grapevine, and shortly after a bottle of Sainburys Own Label Carménère landed on my desk.

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Currently down by £2 to £6 the Sainsbury’s Fairtrade Carménère falls into their Taste The Difference range.  Fresh, spicy and very drinkable. That organic beef burger dripping with melted cheese was a perfect match.

 

Long-term supporters

Mention should also be made of The Co-operative. They have long been supporters of the Fairtrade concept and have contributed more than £2.5m in support of projects benefiting vineyard workers and their families. Their range currently numbers 25 wines sourced from South Africa, Chile and Argentina.

On the Fairtrade Fortnight website there is a competition to win £100 in vouchers for the Co-operative and another to win a six-month supply of Café Direct coffee. My go-to brand as it happens. 

Claim your £60 voucher from our partners at Naked Wines.

This post contains affiliate links, so we may earn a small commission when you make a purchase through links on our site at no additional cost to you. Read our disclaimer

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