Fairly drunk

"There are now more than 100 wines carrying the Fairtrade logo (see fairtrade.org.uk). Most come from South Africa, where Fairtrade schemes are linked to the black economic empowerment policy of the South African government. Fairtrade producers from South Africa's winelands include Thandi, Fairhills and Stella Organics.

But compared with Fairtrade coffee, bananas and chocolate, Fairtrade wine has got off to a slow start. "Wine is a different commodity," says Jane Snell, business development officer for the Fairtrade Foundation. "People view wine as a luxury product and their primary concern is about quality. Fairtrade wine has now captured people's imagination and we are beginning to see some good Fairtrade wines at different price points."

By last year Fairtrade wine had started to catch up; more than 3m bottles were sold in 2006 compared with 800,000 in 2004, while total sales of Fairtrade products in the UK reached a value of £295m in 2006, up from £195m in 2005."