SA wines win 'ethical' prizes

Cape Town - The South African wine industry is impressing Britons - not only with the quality of the wine, but also with the industry's ethical approach towards its people and the environment.

Su Birch, chief executive of Wines of South Africa (Wosa) says that the South African wine industry is exporting more and more, despite the global recession, and is receiving increasing recognition overseas for its ethical approach to winemaking.

The country recently received recognition for ethical practice from the influential British trade publication The Drinks Business, and won the most trophies in the Fairtrade Wine Committee's competition for the best wines of the year.

The Ethical Award was presented to Project Laduma, Wosa's programme to train 2 010 wine stewards ahead of the 2010 World Cup soccer tournament.

The financing comes from overseas sales of Fundi wines, which are marketed for this specific purpose.

Researchers in the UK have found that 87% of consumers believe that the wages that farmers in developing countries pay their workers have great importance.

There are currently more than 250 wines in the UK with Fairtrade certificates. They come from South Africa, Chile and Argentina.

In this year's Fairtrade competition South Africa won the trophy for the Best Overall Fairtrade Wine, as well as the awards for the best red and best white wines.

Birch says South Africa prides itself on the fastest growth in wine sales among all its UK competitors, and a more than 10% share of the market in terms of volume.

- Sake24.com

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