If you're planning a winery trip through the Similkameen Valley, Bottega Wine Studio in Cawston, BC should be near the top of your list.
Tucked into 665 Beecroft Avenue in Cawston — a short drive from Keremeos on Highway 3 — Bottega is the kind of winery that rewards the detour. Cawston is the Organic Farm Capital of Canada, and Bottega fits right in: sustainably farmed, low-intervention winemaking, and an obsessive focus on what the land actually produces.
The Winemaker: Daniel Bontorin
Winemaker Daniel Bontorin runs three distinct labels out of Bottega Wine Studio, each with its own identity and audience.
Bottega Wines
The flagship label. Premium small-lot reds and whites built for the cellar — Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Viognier, and Pinot Noir sourced from trusted Similkameen and Okanagan growers. These are wines with real structure and a clear point of view.
Seven Directions Wine
Bottega's estate rosé label, made from Grenache grown on the Solum Rosa vineyard. Provence-style — bone dry, mineral-driven, and built for food. Seven Directions has developed a genuine following in the South Okanagan, and for good reason. It's one of the best rosés being made in the Similkameen Valley.
K Little Vintners
Fresh, approachable everyday blends. If Bottega Wines is the cellar label and Seven Directions is the estate expression, K Little Vintners is what you open on a Tuesday. Accessible, well-made, and priced accordingly.
Visiting Bottega Wine Studio
Bottega Wine Studio is a seasonal tasting room — book ahead or check their website for current hours before making the drive. Reservations are recommended, especially on weekends. Dogs are welcome on the property.
The winery sits in the Similkameen Valley wine corridor between Cawston and Keremeos — a region that is increasingly on the radar of serious BC wine drinkers. If you're already visiting wineries in Oliver or Osoyoos, the Similkameen is a natural extension of your trip.
Why the Similkameen?
The Similkameen Valley doesn't get the same press as the Naramata Bench or the Golden Mile, but that's changing. The valley runs hot and dry with a shorter season than the Okanagan — conditions that push vines to work harder and produce more concentrated, expressive fruit. It's also BC's organic wine hub: a disproportionate number of Similkameen producers farm without synthetic inputs.
Bottega Wine Studio is one of the best reasons to make the drive. Find them at 665 Beecroft Avenue, Cawston, BC — or follow along at bottegawinestudio.ca.
