Wine Program

The United States is now the second-largest wine market in the world by volume and is the largest market for wine in dollar sales. U.S. consumer demand for wine has been growing steadily, with 2007 being the fourteenth consecutive year of charted gains in total wine sales. Despite the fact that the United States is the fourth largest wine producing nation, imports accounted for 31 percent of total U.S. sales in 2007.  The US has become the most attractive target market for international wine producers.

The most significant growth in US wine sales in recent years has been in varietals of wines from “New World” countries, including Chile, Argentina, and South Africa. However in many of these regions, it is difficult to meet the market demand for high quality wine while ensuring that grape growing communities have access to safe and fair working conditions, receive adequate pay and prices for their wine grapes, and guarantee that costs of living are covered.  Fair Trade CertifiedÔ guarantees producers a set minimum price for their grapes, workers a living wage and wine producing communities funding for community development programs. 

The Fair Trade Difference - Empowering Vineyard Workers and Small Wine Grape Farmers

Just as each country produces its unique grape varietals and blends, producers in Argentina, Chile and South Africa also face unique economic, social and political challenges.

For vineyard workers in South Africa, the legacy of apartheid has limited equal opportunities for economic advancement. In addition to compliance with the basic Fair Trade standards, a special set of Fair Trade guidelines for South Africa has been implemented to support post-apartheid economic empowerment programs. These revolutionary programs, in accordance with our standards, mandate that previously disadvantaged workers own shares of at least 25% of the certified business entity, for the first time providing land and business ownership opportunity to workers.

Small family farmers cultivating wine grapes in Argentina and Chile are susceptible to low market prices which do not generate enough income to meet their family’s basic needs This limits their opportunity to invest in improving farming systems, lowers productivity and threatens their livelihood. Fair Trade certification helps farmers cover their costs of production and supports grape growers to maintain ownership of their farms against the pressure of large business competitors.

» To learn how to become a licensed wine importer, click here >
» To learn how to source and distribute Fair Trade Certified wines, click here >
» To learn how to retail Fair Trade Certified wine through your business, click here >