Fairtrade Fortnight: Here are my top wines to buy from Co-op, Waitrose and Tesco

It is a simple concept, and it works on the principle that the people who make a product should get a fair price for it and fair wages.

In order to use the Fairtrade logo, there is not just the cost of the product to be paid for, but also a premium which goes directly back to the community for them to spend exactly how they wish. This doesn’t mean they can spend it on parties and fun.

Farming communities who work to Fairtrade standards carefully consider what this premium should be used for. There are examples of schools and community centres being built, wells being dug, and health care put in place. These are life-changing improvements to communities.

Of course, it shouldn’t be necessary. There should be poverty safety nets, water in the taps, a transport network, schools and free healthcare for all, but some countries don’t work like that, and we can either wait until it happens, or we can support projects that instigate change, while at the same time reaping the benefits of good quality products.

Growing grapes happens out in the countryside. It sounds obvious, but when you have driven for an hour or so, over a hill from a small town, into a valley or region particularly suited to grape growing, it is clear how remote some of these vineyards are.

Schools and healthcare are vital, and so is a minibus to take children to the next village to go to school. Education is lifting the horizons of people in these communities, providing opportunities to take on more senior roles.

Over the last 30 years, the money that is fed back into communities has provided opportunities and training so that children of farm workers can move into management, become winemakers and vineyard supervisors. And everyone understands that quality wine sells which in turn provides another uplift for the community. Everyone in the team works to keep standards high.

One of my favourite Fairtrade producers is Bosman in South Africa where the family who have owned the estate since 1798 decided to put one-third of the estate’s vineyards and their wine brands into a trust for the 260 farmworkers who live on the estate.

‘After 200 years of farming, we realised that many of the families on the farm had been with us for several generations too,’ said Petrus Bosman when I visited the estate recently. ‘It just seemed the right thing to do’.

Now the workers share ownership of the farm under the name of one of the longest serving workers, the Adama Apollo Workers’ Trust.

I have visited several Fairtrade producers, including Bosman where I saw the crèche, the school and met people in the village where many workers live. This made me think of Yorkshire’s Joseph Rowntree who did much the same for his workers, building New Earswick and instigating social reform.

That echo is even more relevant when I heard that the estate village has a gardening competition each year. ‘It is really difficult to judge the competition, since all the workers are very skilled at propagating plants, having worked in the vine nursery,’ said my guide during my visit.

It has taken some time for Fairtrade wines to be widely available on all supermarket shelves and the Co-op has been leading the way. Joe Turner, Co-op Commercial Buying Manager for Wine at Co-op, said: “We are proud to have championed Fairtrade on our shelves for the last 30 years and remain the largest Fairtrade wine retailer in the world.

“We most recently converted our entire South African range to Fairtrade and thanks to sales of these wines we are able to donate £726,000 South African Fairtrade wine producers. This goes beyond the usual Fairtrade Premium and will support four wine producers in the Western Cape by funding vital projects, improving the lives of local workers and their communities.”

Now many retailers have a selection of Fairtrade wines so look for the logo on bottles and pick one up this weekend, and maybe next weekend too.

And when you drink that bottle of great value, excellent quality Fairtrade wine, just think about the child who is now riding the several miles to school on a bus instead of walking down a long dusty road. Now doesn’t that make the wine taste even better?

Here are some of the best choices when it comes to Fairtrade wines.

Fairtrade Chardonnay 2023, South Africa (Bosman), Co-op £6 (£5.40 for Co-op members) until September 24: Light fresh citrus fruit with passionfruit and pineapple. This is a terrific aperitif and goes well with salmon and salads.

Taste the Difference Fairtrade Chenin Blanc 2023, South Africa (Bosman) Sainsbury £8.50 single bottle with 25% off on a 3-bottle purchase deal: Aromas of honeysuckle with a taste of crunchy green apple backed by citrus freshness.

Vergelegen Sauvignon Blanc 2023, Fairtrade, South Africa, 13.5%, Tesco £11: From one of the best wine estates in the Cape, this wine has flavours of freshly cut pink grapefruit and passionfruit with a vibrant, citrus palate and a clear, herbal finish. Perfect as an aperitif.

Fairtrade Shiraz 2023, South Africa, (Bosman), Co-op £6 (£5.40 for Co-op members) until September 24: This is ripe and rounded with spice-edged damson fruit. Bosman Wines spent their first Fairtrade Premium on building children's playgrounds, helping to improve children's physical wellbeing.

Tilimuqui Fairtrade Malbec 2022, Argentina, Waitrose £11.99 down to £7.99 until September 24: Dry soils in the remote north of Argentina produce concentrated flavours. This wine has silky smooth black fruit flavours with supple tannins and a spicy complex finish. Perfect with steak and sausages. Fairtrade has brought this community fresh water, a school and a sports centre. It was a region that was losing people and is now attracting new inhabitants because of its facilities.

Taste the Difference Fairtrade Cabernet Sauvignon 2023, South Africa (Bosman) Sainsbury £8.50 single bottle with 25% off on a 3-bottle purchase deal: Smooth, silky cassis and blackberry fruit, with a long, meat-friendly finish.