Fairtrade takes centre stage

The Fairtrade Wine Tasting, organised by the Fairtrade Wine Committee, will take place on Thursday 19 November in The Gallery at Vinopolis in London.

The event will be open to trade and press only between 10am and 4pm then open to consumers through ticketed sales, from 6pm – 9pm.

The evening’s consumer event will be supported by key retailers such as The Co-operative, Waitrose, Asda, and Sainsbury’s as well as Tesco which is new to the event this year.

Sales of Fairtrade wine continue to grow impressively despite shoppers feeling the pinch of recession. The Fairtrade wine category now accounts for 0.5% of the total wine market.

Visitors can expect to see an impressive selection of Fairtrade wines this year, with nine licensees showcasing up to 100 wines from Argentina, South Africa and Chile. These will include latest release wines as well as more established brands.

Fairtrade importers, retailers and the Fairtrade Foundation will be on hand to discuss Fairtrade as a whole and the wine category with visitors. Beneficiaries of the Fairtrade premium will also be on hand to give a personal account of how Fairtrade has changed their lives and the lives of their families.

The winners of the third annual Fairtrade Wine Competition, held in September, will be announced during the trade part of the tasting.

Jon Woodriffe, chairman of the Fairtrade Wine Committee, said: “We are delighted to be hosting this tasting for the fourth year running. Each year so far we’ve seen an increase in attendance figures and experienced greater commitment and support from key people in the UK wine trade, who we look forward to welcoming back this year on 19 November.  

“Commitment to Fairtrade for licensees and importers of Fairtrade wine in the UK is not just about guaranteeing a fair price is paid for goods provided. It’s also about building long term mutually beneficial trading relationships, the success of these we believe will be most evident at this year’s tasting, when we see how the quality of Fairtrade wine has improved since it was first introduced to the UK in 2004.

“During this time considerable investment has been made to improve growing conditions and share latest winemaking techniques with our Fairtrade partners. As a result it could be said that the Fairtrade mark on a bottle of wine now represents great quality as well as a guarantee of ethical trading.”

To register attendance, send contact details to Sam Combes at samcombes@tierra-pr.co.uk

Alan Lodge, 11.11.2009