How fair is fair trade wine?

Only about fifty wineries are fair trade-certified, all from South Africa, Argentina, and Chile. Producers must be in the “Global South” to apply for the program and right now, that’s the Global South for wine. “Global South” refers more to development status and national wealth, not so much to physical geography; New Zealand and Australia are in the global south, but not in the Global South. So, don’t blame poor selection when you don’t see Italian or Californian fair trade wine at your local shop.