Wines that taste good and do you good | Fiona Beckett on drinks

As a reader of the Guardian you may have registered for the Fairtrade Fortnight, and if you are also a Co-op customer you are undoubtedly buying Fairtrade wine. I say this because the supermarket sells 76% of all Fairtrade wine sold in the UK – 60 million liters – which also makes it the largest Fairtrade wine retailer in the world. Also, all of their South African wines are Fairtrade, something I honestly can't see why other supermarkets can't imitate.

Fairtrade basically means a percentage of the money you pay goes to community projects, like the secondary school in La Rioja in Argentina which was partly funded by the sale of wines, like the attractively priced Fairtrade Bonarda Malbec and extremely chuckling of co-op (13%). Buy the most recent 2022 vintage rather than 2021.

But not all Fairtrade wines are great. Historically, it's been cheap and not always so cheerful, so it's good to see the co-op listing a Fairtrade 'fine wine' - the beautifully supple 2019 Finca Notables Malbec (14.5%), which is currently on offer at select branches. at £20. No reason, again, why we shouldn't see more of this. Surely people who have money to spend on more expensive bottles could be incentivized to support community projects as well?

And now there's another way to support the shift in the wine industry to buying wines made by winemakers of color or wineries owned by black entrepreneurs. There are many more since I wrote about them in 2020, mostly women and mostly in South Africa (although oddly enough they don't seem to mention the fact on their labels). Whether this is a feature of the innate conservatism of the wine trade and its customers, or the shyness of retailers and producers – who seem happy enough to brandish their eco-credentials – I don't know. Even within the natural wine movement, there is a low representation of non-white ethnic groups, which I suspect won't change until more graduates of color emerge from winemaking courses.

< p class="dcr-1b64dqh">In the end it's up to us; buy more premium Fairtrade wines, buy wines made by the talented black women winemakers of South Africa and we will have more. Simple. And if you're on a tight budget, there are also great deals on Fairtrade wines right now.

Five South African Wines That Make a Difference

Amandla Our Future Sauvignon Blanc 2022 £7.49 (on offer) Waitrose, £9 Sainsbury's, 12.5%. Crisp, zesty and lemony Sauvignon made in a cellar run entirely by black women. (Shiraz/zinfandel is good too, if it's sweet enough.)

Catoria Petite Sirah 2020 €13.99 Exclusive to Angels at Naked Wines, 14.5%. This deliciously spicy red is an unusual variety for South Africa. Again, made by a black winemaker.

Journey's End Night Watchman Shiraz Malbec 2021 £8.50 Co-op, 14%. A rich, generous and full-bodied Fairtrade red that would be perfect with steak.

Ses'fikile Chenin Blanc Roussanne 2020 £15 On Cloud Wine, 12.5%. Lush and textured Cape white blend that would be perfect with roasted celeriac or cauliflower. Ses'fikile is a Xhosa word meaning "we have arrived".

Vilafonte Seriously Old Dirt 2020 £22 Wine Society, £25 Waitrose Cellar, 13.5%. An elegant and supple Bordeaux blend from vines grown on...