Fairhills Merlot - Fair Trade Wine

Embraced by the winds, Kissed by the sea, Guided by the stars

Western Cape, South Africa
Fair Trade Certified™ - Fair Trade Wine

Fairhills is the world’s most well-known fair trade brand being sourced from three fair trade wine countries of origin, Argentina, Chile, and South Africa.  The Fairhills initiative benefits over 1300 beneficiaries in the three different countries and focuses on improving the living and social conditions of these producers.

Fairhills Merlot benefits the local farmers of Du Toitskloof in the Breede River Valley Region and Du Toitskloof Winery of South Africa.  The Fair Trade initiative is dedicated to twenty-two farms and fourteen members to improve the quality of life for over 1,000 community members, including 210 children. The initiative has opened three daycare facilities, built a sports club and a community center with a library, as well as provided adult training and education, and plans on buying their own land that the community will manage.

The Fairhills initiative has created a very successful and financially sustainable brand that benefits the environment and the communities in the underdeveloped regions of South Africa, Argentina and Chile.  “To my knowledge, the Fairhills project is one of the largest and most successful Fairtrade projects in the world.  In my experience it certainly ranks as one of the largest and highest impact Fairtrade projects in Africa and Argentina and definitely the largest in wine.  The project is a model example of what Fairtrade can achieve,” according to Flo-Cert. 

Fairhills Merlot pairs well with steak, lamb, pasta or simply on its own.

Tasting Notes

Fairhills Merlot is medium-bodied with flavors and aromas of bright red fruit layered with blueberry and silky tannins on the finish.

Vineyards

Fairhills Merlot is produced with handpicked Fair Trade Certified™ grapes sourced from the heart of South Africa on the Western Cape.  The grapes are grown on vines 10+ years in age in a soil composed of Hutton and clay.  The region has both coastal and mountain influences and soil in this area is a mix of sandstone and granite with marl, making for an ideal terroir.  The climate is cold winters and very hot summers, but the altitude creates a moderate climate.

Reviews

"Most Green" Merlot - 2008 Fairhills Merlot

Red or White? Go With Green.

"A nicely balanced, dark-ruby merlot with a taste that recalls smoked green bell pepper, Fairhills has a ‘healthy yet silky’ structure (Rapp), a ‘fair amount of tannins’ (Pucilowski), and ‘arcs from earth to fruit’ (Dutton).  ‘I did not expect to enjoy this wine as much as I did,’ Rapp wrote, and Hernandez thought it ‘must be paired with food.’ Dutton recommended herb-roasted pork or semi-hard cheeses.”

Sierra Magazine, Sierra Club May/June 2009