I was not at all surprised to read recently that despite a lot of South African wineries having achieved such certification, many of the workers were being forced to work in
unacceptable conditions. It is very difficult as a wine merchant to keep abreast of such things but I do try to avoid wines that have been made by producers with questionable reputations. I was also not surprised to read in the same report that stellar organics, the producers of the Running Duck that is in this month’s selection, described as ‘exemplary’ as far as working standards were concerned. Their pursuit of ’organic’ status has also done nothing to harm the quality of the wine and I certainly have nothing against a sustainable approach to making great wine.