Drinks of the Month
Two cheap South African Fairtrade sauvignon blancs
If you want to do your bit for Fairtrade projects during Fairtrade fortnight the good news is that you can do yourself a favour in the process. The Co-op which has consistently been the greatest supporter of Fairtrade wines has two well-made, well-priced South African sauvignon blancs which any savvy blanc lover should snap up
The first is the irrepressible Bruce Jack’s Sauvignon Blanc 2021, Breedekloof 12.5% which they’re currently selling at £7 a bottle. It’s bright zesty and citrussy - the kind of crowdpleasing white you could take along to a party or drink with your Friday night fish and chips.
But if that’s not inexpensive enough for you try their own label Co-op Irresistible Fairtrade Sauvignon Blanc 2021 12.5% which is on offer at £5.50 until March 15th and, better still, £4.50 if you’re a Co-op member. Again it’s fresh and citrussy though maybe a fraction smoother, rounder and less punchy than Jack’s. Brilliant at the price though and a good all-rounder with all kinds of seafood and salads
You must wonder though, as I did, how much money goes to Fairtrade projects? The back label says that the wine “has funded a range of social projects in South Africa ranging from crèche facilities for pre-school children through to the renovation of an old people’s home and drug awareness facilities.”
The Co-op adds
• Vineyards that are Fairtrade certified receive at least the Fairtrade Minimum Price when they sell their wine (grapes) to a trader on Fairtrade terms. This protects against sudden price shifts and enables producers to plan beyond the next planting and harvesting cycle. The Fairtrade Minimum Price for wine (grapes) varies depending on the cost of living and business in each origin area and on its cultivation method (it is higher for organic than for conventional cultivation).
• The Fairtrade Premium – extra funds paid on top of the sales price – enables small-scale farmers and vineyard workers to invest in social, economic and environmental improvements.
It can’t be a lot per bottle though I imagine the volume of sales the Co-op generates on Fairtrade products must be considerable.
Oh and while you’re in the Co-op I would also buy the Fairtrade red I recommended last year, the 2019 Don David Blend of Terroirs Malbec-Malbec from Argentina, a delicious full-bodied red which is tasting really well at the moment and well worth £9.
Two Sainsbury’s Fairtrade wines to try
Every Fairtrade Fortnight I seem to end up bleating about the quality of Fairtrade wines so I thought this year I would give it a break. And then I found - too late for my Guardian column - a couple of better than average examples in Sainsbury’s Taste the Difference range.
I wouldn’t get over excited - they won’t blow you away - but they’re decent, more than fairly priced and some at least of the proceeds will go towards Fairtade projects.
The first is the Taste the Difference 2014 Wild Valley Fairtrade Chenin Blanc (13.5%) a smooth dry white from the Wellington region of South Africa that would make a useful after-work white and a good partner for light chicken dishes and creamy pasta sauces. And it’s only 98 calories per 125ml glass (Sainsbury’s now usefully putting calorie content on their own brand wines).
And the second Sainsbury’s TTD Fairtrade Carmenère 2013 (14%) from Chile which is typically lush, ripe and fruity - a little soft for my taste but I might well be in a minority on that. A good red to drink with a lamb curry or other spicy lamb dish. Or with sausages.
Both are £6 until March 25th which I think you’ll agree is a bit of a steal. I’d have willingly paid the full £8 for them.
The Co-op also has a large selection of Fairtrade wines of which I’ve most enjoyed the Argentinian wines in the past. The vintages are different but here are my recommendations from last year.
Manor House Fairtrade Shiraz Mourvedre 2011
Before you get too excited about this week's wine of the week you’re unlikely to be able to buy it unless you live in South Africa or Sweden but I want to flag it up because it’s the best Fairtrade wine I've tasted.
It’s a blend of Shiraz and Mourvèdre (mainly shiraz) which is made from dry-farmed grapes grown on the Papkuilsfontein wine farm in Darling, which is run by a partnership of Distell, the Black Economic Empowerment Company and a community trust and made by the Nederburg winemaking team.
It’s a beautifully structured full-bodied red with lovely ripe fruit and smoothly integrated tannins, impressively presented in an expensive (but not ludicrously heavy) bottle - a serious, proper, grown-up wine. Decanter awarded the 2010 vintage 5 stars in its 2012 wine awards - you wouldn’t hesitate to pour it for your pickiest of friends.
It sells for 115SAR in South Africa which is not cheap for the local market though at £6.39 at the current rate of exchange ludicrously good value by our standards and for 120 krone or £11.18 in Sweden which, given how expensive their market is, isn't overpriced either.
The message Nederburg is apparently getting from the UK market is that we’re not interested in paying this much for Fairtrade wine. I think that’s a crying shame. Won’t some retailer try and disprove that theory?
In the meantime if you’re in South Africa and visiting the winery I strongly suggest you buy a bottle or two to bring home.
There’s a more detailed analysis of the wine here.
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