NEU DIRECTION - Fair Trade Wine

NEU DIRECTION is paving a NEU path by combining the craftsmanship of premium quality winemaking and environmental sustainability.  The DIRECTION of the path is guided by Fair Trade, seeking to enrich the lives of vineyard workers, their families, and their communities.  Fair Trade Certified™ directly supports a better life for farming families in the developing world through fair prices, community development and environmental stewardship.

The path of Neu Direction leads to the global south and the developing nation of Argentina.  In the prime growing region of Argentina, the Mendoza valley, a unique working relationship was established between the small vineyard owners and the ‘contratistas.’  The contratistas are a workforce that emigrated from Italy, mostly from the Tuscan region, well over 100 years ago.  They brought with them the knowledge and skill of grape growing and winemaking. Today, this relationship still exists, but the contratistas numbers are on the decline with estimates of around 4,000 down from 12,000 in less than 10 years.

The contratista-landowner relationship is similar to that of a coach and player.  Both are trying to achieve the same goal but have separate duties and responsibilities; the contratista are responsible for the everyday maintenance of the vineyards or like a player plays the game. The landowner coaches or organizes the plays by managing the harvest, irrigation, and fertilization schedules, as well as setting the organizational structure and administration duties of the vineyard.

The uniqueness of this business relationship is the income paid by the vineyard owners to the contratistas.  On many of the larger, more commercial vineyards, as with most jobs, the workers are paid hourly with little benefits.  In the contratista-landowner relationship, the contratista lives on the land with their families and are paid a percentage of the grape harvest by the vineyard owners.  As a result, both the landowner and the contratista have tied their success and failure together by sharing the same risks.  Both are affected by the market and output production of the vineyard.  

Viña de la Solidaridad (Vine of Solidarity) is an association based on this unique working relationship.  The association was formed in 2005 to preserve this rich, cultural heritage and the contratista-landowner relationship.  The goal of the association is to elevate the lives of the contratistas and provide a better future for their families and communities. Ten small vineyard owners and nine contratistas make up the association.  Long term contracts with Viña de la Solidaridad were established to supply Fair Trade Certified™ grapes for Neu Direction. 

The Fair Trade grapes sold to Neu Direction guarantees the association is able to meet their goals.  By paying a fair price for the grapes regardless of local and global commodity prices, the contratistas are empowered to invest in their communities, protect the environment, and develop the business skills necessary to compete in the global market. The association currently owns 200 acres of vineyards with about a third certified organic, with plans to convert more over the coming years. Each contratista enjoys the freedom of association, safe working conditions, livable wages, and participates in the joint body management committee which oversees the community projects.

By living on the vineyards, the contratistas are able to apply their intimate knowledge of vineyards and micro-climates to grow high quality grapes full of flavor, complexity and depth.  However, due to the economic situations of Argentina, many of the contratistas have struggled to make ends meet, let alone develop their own brands.  Through Fair Trade, Neu Direction is able to feature the quality of their grapes, preserve the traditional farming relationships of Mendoza, and assist each contratista to develop their business skills and to achieve sustainability.  With every glass of Neu Direction you can directly help the grower, their community and the environment.  The wine labels for Neu Direction are made from recycled materials and look for the Fair Trade Certified™ label to know that every glass matters!

Neu Direction Community Projects

The community projects are currently being discussed, more details to come.  Please check back later.