The GOODS from Forbidden Fruit Winery

Cawston, BC | On the banks of the Similkameen River near Cawston, Forbidden Fruit Winery has been welcoming guests to its tasting room for ten years. The winery gets its fruit from the family-owned Ven’Amour Organic Farms, which encompasses 142 acres of orchards, vineyards and natural habitat. The farm is bounded to the east by pine and sagebrush slopes, and to the west by a cottonwood riparian forest nestled into a bend in the river.

The tasting room is in a modest bungalow. Open the door, and the character and passion of the owners Steve Venables and Kim Brind’Amour are immediately evident. Kim’s brilliant-hued paintings, mosaics designs and jewellery glow from walls and shelves, reflections of the fruits, flowers and natural landscapes of the farm.

Steve purchased the property in 1977 and by 1984 it was a certified organic farm. On most summer days, Steve is behind the tasting-counter so visitors can hear first-hand how the wines are made and how the winery developed. Forbidden Fruit is best known for its stellar fruit wines with cheeky titles such as “Crushed Innocence”, “Adam’s Apple” and “Pearsuasion”. “Caught”, an apricot mistelle, recently won a Gold Medal at the 2014 WineAlign National Wine Awards.

When visitors express surprise that a variety of grape wines are also produced, Steve replies, “We’ve heard that grapes are fruit too! People do appreciate the fruit wine, like our Dry White Peach and Plum Noir which have no histamines to bring on headaches or that flushed feeling.” The winery makes table wine, sparkling wine, and dessert wines.

Recognising the natural beauty of their property, Steve and Kim set aside a large area of old growth cottonwood forest along the river, as well as some rocky outcroppings, and dry sagebrush grassland habitat on the slopes above their orchards. “Things feel perfectly balanced on the property. We’ve noticed fewer pressures, and less predators and fruit disease. There is mutual benefit, we protect wildlife habitat and they are protecting us. We like to let it go and not interfere too much,” mused Steve.

Their commitment to being stewards of their land for thirty-five years, along with continued work on soil sustainability, farm sanitation and supporting natural insect predators, has helped Kim and Steve produce high quality fruit and award-winning wines.

As Wildlife Habitat Stewards with Okanagan Similkameen Stewardship (OSS), Kim and Steve have signed a voluntary stewardship agreement to protect sections of their farm. OSS helps them with interpretive signage, drawing attention to the importance and fragility of the natural areas they steward. This year Forbidden Fruit is donating tasting fees to the stewardship organization, which follows their interest in supporting initiatives such as the Organic Farming Institute and the Suzuki Foundation.

OSS Executive Director Alyson Skinner explained why Ven’Amour Organic Farms is such a special property. Streamside cottonwood forest is an endangered ecosystem in the Okanagan and Similkameen region and the Ven’Amour property contains a spectacular example of this habitat. Their beautiful section of cottonwoods and shrubs provides a home for numerous threatened species including the Western Screech-Owl and Western Rattlesnake. The river valley and protected grassland above the farm provide passages for wildlife travelling between South Okanagan Grasslands Protected Area and the Similkameen River.

“Steve and Kim’s generous donation of tasting fees helps Okanagan Similkameen Stewardship support land stewards and communities carry out important habitat conservation and improvement projects throughout the Okanagan and Similkameen valleys. Their commitment to stewardship on their property goes to show their conservation ethic on the ground and is a wonderful example of how agriculture and conservation can coexist in our region,“ stated Alyson.

Guests visiting Forbidden Fruit Winery can relax on the patio or outdoor picnic tables and can stroll down to the cottonwoods, while wine tasting and Kim’s Piece D’Amour Designs are the main attractions inside.

To learn more about Forbidden Fruit Winey visit http://forbiddenfruitwines.com and to learn more about Okanagan Similkameen Stewardship visit www.okanagansimilkameenstewardship.ca.

DETAILS

620 Sumac Road, Cawston, BC | V0X-1C3
Telephone : 1-855-499-2649 | Fax: 1-250-499-2649
E-mail: [email protected]
Web: www.forbiddenfruitwines.com | Facebook | Twitter

GALLERY

THE PEOPLE

Steve Venables – Owner, Winemaker, Sales Manager, Farmer
Kim Brind’Amour – Owner, Administrator, Sales and Marketing Director, Artist
Nathan Venables – Winemaker, Viticulturist,
Teshia Venables – Social Media and Marketing Co-ordinator.

ABOUT FORBIDDEN FRUIT WINERY

Taking a bite from the tree of knowledge has never been more exciting. Proprietors Steve Venables and Kim Brind’Amour claim they live in a “Garden of Eden”. The family operated boutique winery is located just 15 minutes west of Osoyoos and 15 minutes south of Keremeos, in Cawston, British Columbia, “The Organic Capital of Canada”. Paradise on Earth is what they call where they live and what they do. The couple’s commitment to organic farming started in 1977. They took a piece of virgin land along the pristine Similkameen River and created Ven’Amour Organics, a certified organic 32 acre orchard/vineyard within a 142 acre nature estate with desert steppe and old growth riparian forest.

The farm produces and sells over sixty varieties of exotic tree fruits and grapes while partnering with “The Land Conservancy of B.C.” to preserve the non planted acreage as unique wildlife and natural habitat. They decided to open Forbidden Fruit Winery in 2004 because of their love of wine, a desire to continue to provide sustainable food, and to help supplement their small family run farm.  The on-site tasting room showcases stunning pieces of art created by owner Kim Brind’Amour, seasonal organic fruit, the wines and an outdoor licensed picnic area overlooking the breathtaking Similkameen wildlife corridor. The winery uses the farm’s fruit that is carefully grown for flavour and maturity. The juice is handcrafted with eco-friendly production practices and sensitive processing methods that help maintain natural taste and key nutrients such as flavonoids, antioxidants, vitamins, minerals and tannins.  The result is fruit turned into small lots of luscious, high quality, award winning wines guaranteed to please the palate.

AWARDS & ACCOLADES

Today, the winery produces over 15 wines that have garnered over 175 awards in the last 7 years. The fruit wine portfolio consist of several off dry table wines such as the famous Pearsuasion , a Double Gold medal recipient at the 2012 All Canadian Wine Championship.  The stunning dessert wines include the Crushed Innocence White Peach, Impearfection Asian Pear and their most highly awarded fruit wine, “Pomme Desiree Iced Apple” winning the prestigious Mt. Fairweather Award “Best of Region for all of British Columbia” at the Northwest Wine Summit Competition in Mt. Hood Oregon in 2009. The fortified wines are a foursome that include the lovely Caught Apricot Mistelle garnering a Platinum Gold Medal at the Wine Press Northwest an exclusive gold medal winner competition. The wine portfolio continues with the recent addition of the “Earth Series” premium grape wines. All made from certified organic grapes, this series is dedicated to raising funds for sustainability on earth initiatives. The whites include the SauVidal, a beautiful blend of Sauvignon Blanc and Vidal grapes, a Pinot Gris and a Sauvignon Blanc, awarded Double Gold in 2012 at the All Canadian Wine Championship. The reds include a Merlot, and a CabernetSauvignon awarded “Best of show at the Okanagan “Battle of the Benches” competition in 2012.

Other major awards include:

Best Fruit Wine of the Year at the Canadian Wine Awards 2010/11- Pomme Desiree Iced Apple
Superlative Award, Best of Category 2010 – Crushed Innocence White Peach dessert wine
Double Gold, Wine Press Northwest 2009 – Cerise D’Eve Red cherry Portstyle
Double Gold, Wine Press Northwest 2009 – Pomme Desiree Iced Apple
Double Gold, All Canadian Wine Championship 2010 – Impearfecion Asian Pear dessert wine.

What the wine industry is saying:

“Big and Bold, proof that what is arguably B.C’s best fruit winery, has the same deft touch with grapes.” Jurgen Gothe, Georgia Straight

“Iced Apple wines have taken top honours two years in a row: this one is from fruit grown in B.C.’s Similkameen Valley. Forbidden Fruit has been growing a range of organic fruits for 30 years. This golden nectar has wonderful pure apple expression, elegantly wrapped in subtle caramel notes. The sweetness is beautifully balanced.” Canadian Wine Awards, Wine Access Magazine

“As I discovered in tasting the current releases from Forbidden Fruit Winery- two grape wines and a range of fruit wines. Tasting these wines was a great sensory experience…. Steve and Kim produce the wines to the same high standards as their fresh fruit. The evidence is in the winery’s consistent record of awards.” John Schreiner, Author of The Wineries of British Columbia