Drink to summer and Fairtrade!
Most people’s choice of wine is influenced by the seasons, and now that summer is here, it’s time to choose a Fairtrade wine that matches the balmy weather and the food we eat. Go for something cool and refreshing in the heat of summer complementing salads, seafood and lighter meals - eaten outdoors if we are lucky enough.
There are over 200 Fairtrade certified wines currently available in the UK. As the months warm up, you can enjoy it all the more, knowing that the producers are getting a better deal.
Adedoyin Olusina, Business Development Manager at the Fairtrade Foundation says: ‘The Fairtrade wine category is a very exciting and fast growing area. There are so many different styles and flavours to try, and choosing Fairtrade wine really does make a difference to the lives of wine grape growers who are part of the Fairtrade system. Pick one for yourself next time you shop for wine!’
Ehrmanns’ latest Chilean wine is a treat this summer. The certified Chilean winery, Consorcio Vinicola de Chile (CVC) has launched two new brands, Los Unidos meaning ‘banded together’ and Los Troncos which suggests strength. Los Unidos is aimed at multiple and impulse costumers, while the Los Troncos is exclusive to on-trade and independents. The new brands replace former brands Los Robles and Los Almendros. Fairtrade premium generated by sales of the wines will be used to fund educational programmes and medical facilities. The growers will have equal ownership of the brands with Ehrmanns. ‘The growers, their families and communities will benefit not only immediately from the Fairtrade premium but also long term from the creation of brand value in the UK and European markets’, says managing director Mark Chapman. Waitrose will be first to market Los Unidos at £4.99. Los Troncos will be sold at £5 - £6.99.
Other Fairtrade brands include Thandi wines (Sauvignon Blanc Semillion, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Cabernet Merlot) from South Africa which have won several Decanter awards for the quality of their wine.
The perfect combination of brilliant sunshine, warm days, cool nights and very low rainfalls make the award-winning La Riojana wines from Argentina’s picturesque and remote Famatina Valley excellent quality. ‘The 100% handpicked grapes benefit from a natural viticultural paradise with high altitude vineyards’ says Samantha Combes, spokesperson for the La Riojana wines. La Riojana is currently the world’s largest producer of certified organic Fairtrade wines, and was first Fairtrade certified in February 2006, making it Argentina’s first Fairtrade certified winery. La Riojana Fairtrade wines include The Co-operative Argentine Organic Malbec Reserve at £6.49, The Co-operative Argentine Pinot Grigio 2008 at £5.49, The Co-operative Argentine Shiraz £5.49 and The Co-operative Argentine Torrontes-Chardonnay £4.49.
Other Fairtrade wines from La Riojana are sold in Waitrose, Traidcraft, Wholefoods, Corney & Barrow and online at www.bibendum-wine.co.uk.
Sainsbury’s Fairtrade Pinot Grigio 2009 is due to be released later this year at £4.99.
Fairhill’s first Chilean wine, Fairhills Curico, is to be launched in the UK soon. Nonetheless, the refined Sauv Blanc, Pinot Noir and Chardonnay are excellent companions for the imminent summery days.
For a full list of all certified wine products, please see our website www.fairtrade.org.uk
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Notes to Editors
1. The FAIRTRADE Mark is a certification mark and a registered trademark of Fairtrade Labelling Organisations International (FLO) of which the Fairtrade Foundation is the UK member. The Fairtrade Foundation is an independent certification body which licenses the use of the FAIRTRADE Mark on products which meet international Fairtrade standards. This independent consumer label is now recognised by 70% of UK consumers and appears on products as a guarantee that disadvantaged producers are getting a better deal. Today, more than 7.5 million people – farmers, workers and their families – across 58 developing countries benefit from the international Fairtrade system.
2. Over 4,500 products have been licensed to carry the FAIRTRADE Mark including coffee, tea, herbal teas, chocolate, cocoa, sugar, bananas, grapes, pineapples, mangoes, avocados, apples, pears, plums, grapefruit, lemons, oranges, satsumas, clementines, mandarins, lychees, coconuts, dried fruit, juices, smoothies, biscuits, cakes & snacks, honey, jams & preserves, chutney & sauces, rice, quinoa, herbs & spices, seeds, nuts & nut oil, wines, beers, rum, confectionary, muesli, cereal bars, yoghurt, ice-cream, flowers, sports balls, sugar body scrub and cotton products including clothing, homeware, cloth toys, cotton wool and olive oil.
3. 7 in 10 households purchase Fairtrade goods, including an extra 1.3 million more households in 2008, helping Fairtrade sales reach an estimated £700m in 2008, a 43% increase on the previous year. There are over 460 producer organisations selling to the UK and by the end of October 2008 872 certified producer groups were in the global Fairtrade system, representing more than 1.5 million farmers and workers.