Place in the Sun on a Winning Streak

The new range of Fairtrade-accredited Place in the Sun wines won praise at October’s Cape Wine Europe, the trade showcase for South African wines held in London, with international trade delegates delighting in the warm-hearted, generous flavours of the wines and the inspiring design of the labels. Their affirmation comes close on the heels of a silver Veritas medal earned at this year’s SA National Wine Show for the debut 2010 Shiraz, a wine of rich berry ripeness, savoury and spice flavours. Meanwhile, the farm workers who grow the grapes for Place in the Sun wines have just had a major win of their own. Also in October, their rugby team, the Blue Swallows, beat their league opponents, Blue Stars, 5 – 0.

Says Piet Carinus, of the Devon Valley farm where the grapes are grown: “The Place in the Sun project has had an enormously positive effect on the workers, who are motivated at work and at play. They are excited and upbeat about the prospects for the brand and the potential benefits they will see, as the Fairtrade premium for the grapes is directed towards social development of the workers, who decide on how the funds are to be spent.”