The discouraging thing about Fairtrade wines is that it seems like it's one step forward, two steps back. Last year, I thought the overall quality had improved; this year, I've really struggled to find wines to recommend.
wine: fairtrade pinot grigio PR
Why? Surely it can't be that people who want to support Fairtrade don't care about the quality of the wine they drink? Or that wine buffs couldn't give a monkey's about the working conditions of employees? The fact that the biggest wine retailer, Tesco, stocks only three – three! – Fairtrade wines (if you can call its incredibly sickly Keep Light And Be Fair "aromatized wine product cocktail" a wine) suggests there just isn't that great a demand.
If none of this deters you, head for the Co-op, which this year celebrates 10 years of selling Fairtrade wine and has by far the widest selection at the sharpest prices. I'm not taken with it all, but was impressed by the new Fairtrade Pinot Grigio (on offer at £5.59; 12.5% abv), from Argentina, an unusually lively, fruity version of that too often dreary grape variety, which would go down nicely with a fishy pasta or risotto. The same producer's Malbec (on offer at £6.79; 13% abv) was a bit too oaky for me, though it may not be for you (and it was better after double decanting, which involves pouring the wine into a jug, then pouring it back into the bottle, to aerate it and soften the tannins).
The attractively blackcurranty Zebra View Cabernet Sauvignon 2013 (£6.99 until 9 March; 14% abv), from South Africa, was the best of a poor bunch from Marks & Spencer (the 2012 is on offer online for £36 a case), while Asda's Extra Special Fairtrade Chenin Blanc 2013 (£7; 14% abv) is better than most Fairtrade chenins I've tasted this year and would, as they suggest, go with sushi, stir-fries or chicken salad.
wine: fairtrade malbec PR
Here's an idea, though. Why not buy a non-Fairtrade certified bottle that's on offer from one of the Fairtrade wine-producing countries (South Africa, Chile and Argentina) and drop the money you save into the collection box next time you're near an Oxfam? The £1.50 saving you can currently make on the consistently reliable Tesco's Finest Swartland Shiraz (on offer at £5.49; 14% abv), for example, would almost certainly be more than the few pence per bottle that goes into Fairtrade projects. The £3 off Tesco's Finest Stellenbosch Red 2011 (14% abv), a classy bordeaux drinkalike currently down to £6.99, would be better still.
matchingfoodandwine.com
• This article was edited on 24 February 2014, to clarify the double-decanting procedure.