Vinophiles face a large number of choices every time we buy a bottle of wine. Cabernet or Merlot? Chardonnay barrel fermented or unoaked? Imported or domestic? California or local? (Well, I can dream, can’t I?) Were the grapes farmed organically? What is the carbon footprint of this massive bottle?
No wonder we spend so much time in wine stores!
Add one more factor to consider: Fair trade certification. We’ve seen “fair trade certified” labels crop up on coffee, tea, chocolate and other agricultural products over the past few years as a feel-good reassurance that the developing world workers who toiled to give us a more delicious way of life were paid a fair wage and provided reasonably tolerable working conditions. TransFair USA, the California-based non-profit that certifies fair trade products for sale in the United States, is now bestowing the label on wines from Argentina and South Africa at selected retailers.
It’s a laudable concept, and one to consider if the wines are good. You can read my assessment of fair trade wines in today’s Washington Post.
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