Trade not aid

Eighteen or so months ago I wrote about an Argentine wine sold under the Fairtrade label which was raising funds for a remote village in Famatina Valley to enable it to source fresh drinking water. This week, I was delighted to receive a CD with a video showing 400 smiling faces from that same village at the launch of their new water plant.

"Tilimuqui was a forgotten, isolated village," says Mario Gonzalez of La Riojana winery. "The villagers relied on a small well to supply water for drinking, living and irrigating their vineyards, but it was an erratic supply which often did not work for two or three months of the year," he says.

One third of the houses had no access to drinking water at all. The adobe-style dwellings with dirt floors are very basic and inhabitants of those houses relied on the large plastic water butts placed directly outside which were filled up by old water hoses.

The village in La Rioja in north-west Argentina is in the heart of La Riojana's vineyards. Many of its members supply grapes to the La Riojana wine co-operative, Argentina's first Fairtrade accredited winery. Gonzalez knew that conditions were bad and wanted to help the community, as well as improve the grape quality in the vineyards, but he needed a partner to help with the project. He approached the Co-op Group, whose stores have sold Fairtrade wines from other countries in the UK since 2001.

"We were shocked when we visited Tilimuqui in March 2006," says Maria Elner, wine buyer for the Co-op. "We found it hard to believe that there are places in Argentina where basic necessities are not provided," she says. They decided to help by matching the social premium received by La Riojana growers from the Fairtrade Labelling Organisation (FLO); this meant that as well as receiving the guaranteed Fairtrade price for their grapes, for every case of wine sold an additional 82p went back into funding.

Tilimuqui now has a new water facility with a well 12 inches wide and 160 metres deep with an electric pump, a 150,000 litre reservoir and 10,000 litre tank. All houses without access to water are having proper 500 litre water tanks installed. The new system also gives the necessary pressure which will help villagers irrigate their vineyards more effectively.

This is Argentina's first Fairtrade project, and it began just two years ago. There are now 100 Fairtrade wines from 30 regular producers from across the world sold under the FLO label – proving how effective this system can be in directly helping the lives of those within grape-growing communities in a short space of time.

Following the success of the water project, the Co-op and La Riojana are now planning the construction of a new primary and secondary school at Tilimuqui. If you buy the Fairtrade wines tasted and reviewed this week (see the panel, right) you will be directly helping them raise funds to build these schools.

Taste Test

White

CO-OP FAIRTRADE ARGENTINE TORRONtéS CHARDONNAY 2007

(£3.99, Co-op)

Excellent price for this aromatic blend. 15/20

FAIRTRADE TILIMUQUI SINGLE VINEYARD TORRONTES 2007

(£5.99, Waitrose)

Very fragrant, gently spicy chestnut flavours in this crisp unoaked Argentine varietal. 15.5/20

Red

CO-OP FAIRTRADE ARGENTINe ORGANIC MALBEC RESERVE 2006

(£5.99, Co-op)

Deep red, gutsy plummy fruits, slightly edgy rustic finish; not bad for the price. 13/20

CO-OP FAIRTRADE ARGENTINE BONARDA SHIRAZ 2006

(£3.99, Co-op)

Light red, cherry aromas, rounded, sweet palate. 13.5/20

THE BEST NEW WINE DEALS THIS WEEKEND

White LA MAISON DE CHARLOTTE Mont Tauch

(£4.99, Tesco)

Bright cartoon-labelled, fruit-driven grenache blanc/maccabeo blend from Tauchen; simple, easy, gluggable; short on the finish.

Red FISH HOEK SHIRAZ 2007

(£6.19, Tesco; Sainsbury's; Somerfield)

Modern silky smooth red fruit, sweet vanilla flavours in this Cape shiraz from Swartland fruit made by Bruce Jack.

Rosé ENCHANTé MERLOT ROSé 2006

(£6.99, Sainsbury's; Threshers)

Bordeaux rosé from Baron de Rothschild; crisp, clean and bursting with rich mouthfilling fruit.