Forbidden Fruit

When a friend recommended that I should stop at Forbidden Fruit winery, I was suspicious. “Fruit wine? Isn’t it all really sweet?” I asked her. The answer is “absolutely not.” The variety of wines to try at Forbidden Fruit is amazing. And the service is fantastic.

When we walked into the winery, which is nestled among a grove of trees above a bend of the Similkameen river, we were greeted by proprieter Steve Venables. It was not long before his partner Kim Brind’Amour appeared with a plate of artisan cheese from Quebec.

As we nibbled cheese, we were invited to taste the ample selection of wines, all made from 100 percent certified organic fruits. Steve explained that they’ve been growing fruit in the Similkameen for over 30 years. They decided to start making fruit wines as a way to add more value to their crops. They still sell the majority of their organic fruit as-is.

The first wine we tried was the Pearsuasion ($16.90), a dry white table wine made from, you guessed it, pears and aged in oak.  At the tasting I found thought the wine was really smooth, like velvet ribbons swirling around your mouth.

I brought it home and saved it for a wine tasting with some friends. We tasted blind, but the feedback wasn’t nearly as positive. Tasters thought the smell was strong, like white pepper, socks or durian. Then the taste was comparatively bland. But no one mentioned that it was sweet, so the dryness of this wine remains undisputed. I would try it again, but I have to advise against surprising guests with it if they are expecting wine. It is definitly unique.

Two more table wines are Adam’s Apple ($15) and Cherysh ($19.95). They are both off-dry and made from apples and cherries respectively.

The dessert wines are where the fun really begins. These wines are just bursting with scent and flavour. They are fun to sip on their own or mix into cocktails. You could certainly add some kick to a fruit salad with any one of these. Apricot, pear, white-fleshed peach, cherry, and apple varieties are available.

Of the eight dessert and fortified dessert wines, I would have to pick the fortified red plum wine Plumiscuous ($29.95) as my favourite, both for its tart taste and the tarty name. At 17 percent alcohol, it would make a great martini with a twist of lemon in a chilled glass.

Details:

Forbidden Fruit
(250) 499-2649
620 Sumac Road
Cawston, B.C.
Tasting room open April 1 to October 31st from 10am to 6pm daily. (November 1st to March 31st by appointment).
www.forbiddenfruitwines.com

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