the finest wines in the world

South Africa produces some of the finest wines in the world and contributes up to 5% of the international wine production. Over 120.000 hectares are planted with vines for wine production and over 900 million liters are produced all year by local wineries, this generation more than 1, 2 billion wine bottles.

South Africa hosts the first ever Fairtrade wine process in the world - Thandi Wines - which achieved Fairtrade certification in 2003. Since then wine has become one of the most important Fairtrade products in South Africa we currently have 16 Fairtrade certified wine grape producer organizations and over 40 companies complicated in Fairtrade wine-making and trading In 2010, over 18 million bottles of Fairtrade wine were drunk worldwide and two thirds of those were from South African farms.

Wine contributes significantly to the growth of the South African Fairtrade movement half of the predictable ZAR 18, 4 million spent on Fairtrade products in South Africa during 2010 were generated by locally produced Fairtrade wines. South Africans will be happy to discern that for every Fairtrade labeled bottle they buy, 50 cents goes back to the farm workers to use for social and economic money.

These investments are made into various projects some of which include backing of education and training programmed for the workers and their family or the improvement of services and infrastructures Fairtrade certification also ensure that the wine is shaped sustainably in agreement with Fairtrade Standards and that full traceability is in place.