Thresher recently sent me a box of six Fair Trade wine samples to look at. Let me preface what follows by saying that I think the Fairtrade initiative is an excellent one, and I congratulate Thresher for promoting the initiative during Fair Trade fortnight, which runs from February 25th to 9th March.

But … do retailers play fair with Fair Trade? All the ‘fairness’, after all, appears to be the result of the producer’s efforts. What does the retailer do? Shouldn’t we begin to demand Fair Retail margins on Fair Trade products?

Let me illustrate what has provoked this line of thought.

I tried the six wines. Qualitatively speaking, most are weak. As I tried them, I decided to specify the retail price I thought they ought to command, and mark them on the basis of that imagined retail price.

1. 2007 Origin Fairtrade Sauvignon Blanc, Du Toitskloof, South Africa.   Dull, musty nose; simple, acidic flavour. A low-grade quaffer. I’d guess £3.49 and would mark 9/20 on that basis.
2. 2007 Origin Fairtrade Viognier, Du Toitskloof, South Africa.   Apricots and cream: pleasant. Salty edges, light and dilute flavour, but the style is well judged and it makes pleasant drinking. I’d guess £4.29 and would mark 12/20 on that basis.
3. 2007 Equality Fairtrade Chardonnay/Viognier, Corvica, Chile.   Gentle boiled sweets. Simple; poor. I’d guess £3.29 and would score 8/20 on that basis.
4. 2006 Origin Fairtrade Cinsault/Merlot, Citrusdal, South Africa.   Sweet and jammy aromas, with a gentle, dilute, tangy flavour. Acidity bothersome after a few sips. I’d guess £3.49 and would score 10/20 on that basis.
5. 2006 Origin Fairtrade Cabernet Sauvignon/Merlot, Du Toitskloof, South Africa.   Rounded plum. Soft and easy, with a tinned-fruit quality. Soft, plummy fruit with little shape, poise or definition. I’d guess £3.69 and would score 11/20 on that basis.
6. 2005 Equality Fairtrade Cabernet Sauvignon, Corvica, Chile.   Herbaceous scents. Soft, monotonous fruit with marked herbaceousness – a demonstration of everything Chilean Cabernet shouldn’t be. I’d guess £3.49 and would score 10/20 on that basis.

Now for the real shocker. Thresher is retailing all of these wines at £6.99.

Anyone who bought a bottle of these wines (and even their packaging is lamentable) at £6.99 would be grievously disappointed, and would conclude that Fairtrade is a name to avoid. This is a disaster for the Fairtrade movement, not an opportunity.

Thresher is, of course, offering ‘3 for 2’ offers on four of them (1,3, 5 and 6), and `3 for £12’ offers on wines 2 and 4. But even at £4.66, the first four are overpriced. £4 for wine 2 is just about ok, but £4 for wine 5 is too much. And why should customers be forced into buying three bottles just to mitigate the poor value?

Would it not be Fairer if all retailers offering Fairtrade items publically stated their margin on those items?

Postscript
Wine number 6 carried a Gold Medal sticker from the 2006 International Wine Challenge. I have the highest respect for the IWC – which is why I find it all but impossible to believe that this wine could have won a Gold Medal there, assuming it had been entered into a class at its £6.99 per bottle asking price. I have tried to find a complete list of IWC 2006 results on the web, so far without success. If anyone can give me a link – thanks. But I will be contacting the organisers to ask if there is any downstream auditing of wines claiming to have won medals.