Winery Highlight: Clos du Soleil, Star of the Similkameen Valley

​The Physicist, The Cowboy and The Living
Vineyard

How an unlikely duo at Clos du Soleil is setting the gold standard for sustainable wine in the rugged Similkameen Valley, British Columbia, Canada.

This post is part of a paid collaboration with Clos du Soleil. ​

​There is nothing small about Clos du Soleil Winery or its ambition. When you look at a bottle of wine with a gorgeous, sleek black label, you might get swept up in the romance of the aesthetic. It looks chic on a restaurant table, and it looks beautiful on a picnic blanket by the lake. But if you want to know what makes a wine truly tasty, you have to look past the glass. You have to look at the dirt. At this Vineyard in the Sun, philosophies of minimal-interventionist winemaking and biodynamic and regenerative farming, thrive.

​If you've been following my wine adventures for a while, you know that sustainability is one of the threads that runs through my stories. From the grape growers to the winemakers our industry is fighting for its future, one vineyard and one bottle at a time. And while we wait to twist the cap off their gorgeous releases, I want to take a moment. I want to take you behind the scenes of Clos du Soleil to meet the team who are setting the award-winning standard and explore what conscientious viticulture looks like here in British Columbia. Because their story isn't just about making premium wine. It's about keeping vineyards in this rugged valley and steep mountain terrain alive. And none of this should be taken for granted. 

Winemaker and Managing Director Michael (Mike) Clark

Vineyard and Operations Manager Steve Roche

​The Unlikely Duo:
​When Physics Meets Farming

The magic at Clos du Soleil is driven by a partnership that sounds like the setup to a great joke: What happens when a theoretical physicist and a South African cowboy walk into a bar…er, I mean onto a rocky mountain upper bench of the Similkameen Valley near Keremeos? Flat valley floor, steep rock faces, gravelly soils, a river and near-constant breezes moving through it all? I'm not sure Michael Clark was entirely prepared to trade the polish of his global career for the raw grit of this landscape, but pair his analytical mind with a hard-working, vineyard-obsessed, cheekily and charming Steve Roche, and instead of some gritty, chaotic clash, you get the ultimate version of The Odd Couple. It's a masterclass in collaboration, with a brilliant outcome: fantastic award-winning wine.
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Winemaker and Managing Director Michael Clark. Michael didn't start in the cellars; he originally trained in theoretical physics before spending over a decade as an investment manager in Europe. When he pivoted to winemaking, he brought that analytical, precise mind with him. Michael's philosophy in the cellar is all about minimal intervention. He relies heavily on wild, natural fermentations. Why? Because he wants the natural, sage-scented terroir of the Similkameen to speak entirely for itself, without any artificial manipulation or heavy-handed winemaking tactics. But Michael can only be hands-off in the cellar because the fruit arriving on the sorting table is exceptional. And this is where Steve comes in.

Steve Roche is the Vineyard and Operations Manager, a proud, adventurous South African. He grew up in Cape Town, studied viticulture in world-famous Stellenbosch, and brings decades of organic grape-growing experience to BC. When Steve isn't managing the vines, he's a volunteer firefighter, a private pilot, and a genuine cowboy who works with horses. Steve views the vineyard through a deeply moral lens. He isn't interested in chemically dominating the landscape. His personal mantra, "We are merely temporary custodians of the earth, and it is our absolute duty to leave the soil in a healthier, more vibrant condition than we found it, for the generations to come". He and Ray Anderson (known for his sustainability leadership) would be besties. 

Farming Practices: What's Going On?

For over a decade, the team at Clos du Soleil has been moving away from conventional farming. All four of their estate vineyards are Certified Organic, with the Estate Vineyard in the process of being Certified Biodynamic. This is not marketing; it's an audited, verified status that took years of transition and paperwork to earn, vineyard by vineyard. Walk the rows with Steve and you'll hear a few more words almost as often: biodynamic and regenerative.

Now, if you're new to wine, these terms can start to blur together. Let's break it down:

• Standard Farming: Relies on synthetic chemicals to solve problems, such as chemical sprays to kill pests and artificial fertilizers to force vine growth. This contaminates the soil with lasting residue but guarantees a crop.
• Organic Farming: Avoids those harsh synthetic chemicals entirely, opting for natural alternatives. This is a certified, regulated status, and every acre Clos du Soleil farms has earned it.
• Biodynamic/Regenerative Farming (Clos du Soleil Way): Takes organics a step further  based on Rudolf Steiner's philosophy as well as more recent interpretations. Instead of just avoiding bad things, they actively introduce good life into the vineyard: cover crops, compost teas, and insect habitats, all part of a broader focus on feeding the living biology in the soil. More on Regenerative Farming here.

​Instead of controlling and fighting nature, Steve and Michael work with the diverse, sensitive ecosystem living below the ground, where the vines can develop stronger root systems and become more resilient. Here's the technical payoff: when a vine isn't artificially fed by chemical fertilizers, it's forced to push its roots deep into the fractured bedrock to find nutrients below. That natural nutrient absorption becomes, almost magically, the mouth-watering aromas, flavours, and stony mineral texture we love in the glass.

Biodynamic Preparations (called Teas) used on the soil at Clos du Soleil's Estate Vineyard.

​Why This Kind of Farming Is
​a Winning Formula

Farming this way in the Similkameen Valley isn't easy; it requires intense, hands-on manual labor, constant monitoring, and absolute dedication from the entire crew. And there are no guarantees as farmers in agriculture know. Steve and Michael are making educated bets, season after season, to meet climate volatility head-on, but hard work and good science don't come with a promise of success. That's exactly why this ecological balance matters: it's the best insurance policy anyone's found so far. 

When you purchase a bottle from an estate that carries an official "Biosphere Committed" status, your dollars are actively supporting a team that aligns its operations with global climate action goals. Clos du Soleil is one of only four vineyards in BC certified.
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So, when you see that distinctive black or white label on a bottle of Clos du Soleil, you're looking at a story of change, hope, and absolute respect for the environment. It's a liquid postcard of love, written by this lovely odd coupe, physicist and a cowboy, sent directly from the sun-baked rocks of the Similkameen straight to your table. Let's twist that cap and pour a glass to toast Clos du Soleil and the future of BC wine. Cheers!

 Buy Wine, Join the Wine Club or Go Visit

It might sound repetitive. My recommendation to most wine lovers is to grab a bottle, make a delicious meal, invite a couple friends over and then make future plans. You can't go wrong joining the wine club, or visiting Clos du Soleil Winery. Amanda runs the tasting room and you couldn't meet a more knowledgeable, witty and engaged brand ambassador for the winery and the region. Now git!

The links are live. 
Clos du Soleil is located at 2568 Upper Bench Rd, Keremeos, BC V0X 1N4
​Join the Wine Club: They have two - regular & customizable. Yes something for everyone.
Book Your Tasting Online - $10 fee refunded with purchase or call: 1-250-499-2831

P.S. ​Photography and visual assets used in this post (where not mine) are published with the explicit permission of and provided directly by Clos du Soleil Winery.