March Sampling Club Wines - Fairtrade Fortnight

The first two weeks of March, give or take a day or so, are designated as Fairtrade Fortnight.  To mark this we are pleased to offer a South African pair from Thandi in the Western Cape.  Sadly, despite all the best intentions of participants in such schemes, many Fairtrade wines still fail to come up to scratch and some of the multiples stock them only to pay lip service to an admirable principle.  Thandi, however, make wine with lovely fruit purity under the scrupulous eye of Vernon Henn, the charming general manager.  Established in 1995 in Elgin by Paul Cluver who is their mentor to this day, Thandi is the world’s first Fairtrade wine company.  55% of the company’s shareholding is in the hands of 250 farm-worker families.  Sales are used primarily to raise the living standards of the farm workers and to develop educational facilities for themselves and their children.  A medical facility has also been funded and improved transport for the children and the elderly is now in place.  Sometimes we comfortable cynics wonder just how much of our modest contribution finds its way to these good causes; in this case the system clearly works as tangible evidence of considerable improvement is there for all to see.

                       

RED: 2010 Shiraz/Cabernet Sauvignon, Thandi, Western Cape, South Africa

Price per bottle: £8.25 (sealed case price: £7.84) Half price for one sample (club members only) £4.12

Deep in colour with dark fruit showing notes of bramble and pepper, this is not in fat,  ripe, typically southern hemisphere style; rather it is leaner, perhaps more European with a bit of structure and tighter on the palate.  Drink with foods that need a bit of cut -  roast lamb, slow-cooked pork or fatty duck - for balance.          

                                              

WHITE: 2010 Sauvignon Blanc/Sémillon, Thandi, Western Cape, South Africa 

 Price per bottle: £8.25 (sealed case price: £7.84) Half price for one sample (club members only) £4.13

 Sauvignon provides aromatics and zip, Sémillon helps to fill out the palate and adds subtlety to the finished flavour.  This is bone dry and very crisp with mouthwatering freshness - completely the opposite to rounder, more tropical variants from New Zealand and Australia.  Drink with foods that like acidity - fish and chips would be perfect as this gives you the vinous equivalent of a squeeze of lemon.

                                  

MARCH OFFERS

The above two wines, which would normally be available to Sampling Club members at the case rate this month, come to you with a further reduction to just £7.00.  Bought as part of a mixed case they would also receive the 5% case discount which takes them down from £8.25 to £6.65.

Why not bolt on a bottle of 2010 Shiraz Rosé, Thandi at the special £7.00 rate?  It is dry and fresh, not too boozy, with a touch of rose hip on the nose and gentle summer berry flavours.

If you fancy tickling up the palate with some bubbles, the winery also produces 2011 Sparkling Shiraz Rosé, Thandi which would be £10.00 at full price but is knocked back to £9.00.  It is in an easy, ripe, off-dry style with a little note of lychee on the nose and echoes of raspberry on the palate.

These offers and the availability of the two pink wines will only last for March so don’t hang about!

View our South African Wines here or find our more about Thandi Fairtrade Wines

We will be running the promotion on these Fairtrade Wines from Thandi for the whole month of March