Fairtrade wine awards announced

The results of the first ever Fairtrade Wine Awards were announced at the annual Fairtrade Tasting at Vinopolis. 48 wines were entered from the three Fairtrade wine producing countries Argentina, Chile and South Africa. A top white and top red were selected from each country, and the finalists were retasted to award the overall white and red winners. The best overall White Wine was “Equality” by Las Lomas, and the best overall red Wine the “Co-op Fairtrade Chilean Carmenère” 2006, Chile.

The Fairtrade Wine Awards were set up by the UK Fairtrade Wine Committee in order to raise awareness of the high standard of Fairtrade wines now available. Made up of licensees representing the wines in the UK, this committee is the only one of its kind in the Fairtrade sector, whose members actively collaborate to raise the profile of its products to the UK wine trade and the consumer, and the benefits to the workers and local communities that produce them.

According to Emma Sundt, Business Development Officer at the Fairtrade Foundation, wine represents one of the fastest growing sectors of Fairtrade goods in the UK. “In the few years that Fairtrade wine has been imported from the three main countries, we have seen that this sector is increasing significantly year on year,” Emma reports. “Wholesale wine volumes increased 116.7% in 2006 compared to the 2005 volumes. The UK is by far the biggest consumer of Fairtrade wine, with 2.5 million litres sold last year alone, representing a market value of £7 million. This amounts to around 1% of the overall wine market in the UK.”

http://www.fairtrade.org.uk