Forbidden Fruit Winery

Forbidden Fruit Winery is a family-owned boutique winery on Ven'Amour Organic Farms, a certified organic tree fruit farm, vineyard and nature estate set along the banks of the Similkameen River near Cawston. The farm's roots run deep: founders Kim and Steve began working this raw riverside land in 1977, and when organic certification arrived in BC in 1984, Ven'Amour was among the original certified organic farms. More than four decades on, the hillside orchards and vineyards remain organically farmed and naturally isolated from commercial agriculture, in a valley that has become known as one of Canada's organic farming capitals. True to its name, the winery specializes in wines made from tree fruit, drawing on the farm's cherries, apricots, peaches, plums and heritage apple and pear varieties, alongside vinifera grape wines crafted by award-winning winemaker Nathan Venables, whose range runs from bold reds to dry, flavourful whites. Visitors can stop in at the tasting boutique on Sumac Road in Cawston, open daily from spring through mid-October with winter visits available by appointment. The tasting room doubles as a gallery for Kim's artwork, with vibrant paintings, mosaics and beaded jewelry displayed alongside the wines, giving the space a personality all its own. The setting, down a quiet road in the Similkameen Valley between Keremeos and the South Okanagan, rewards the detour with river, orchard and mountain scenery. For wine tourists, Forbidden Fruit offers one of BC's most distinctive tasting flights: the chance to compare true fruit wines, made seriously and organically, with grape wines grown in the same remarkable valley. It is an essential stop for anyone wanting to taste the Similkameen's organic farming heritage in a glass.