Winemaking

The grapes were destemmed and crushed and pressed immediately in our inert press. The press juice and free run juice were kept separate and settled overnight, before the clean juice was racked off. Only the free run juice from the best blocks is used for the Reserve Collection Sauvignon blanc. The juice was fermented at 15 degrees Celsius in stainless steel tanks with selected wine yeast. 8% of this blend is made up of wine fermented in old larger format barrels and matured there for four months. After fermentation thewine was sulphured and left on the lees for five months with regular lees stirring before stabilization, filtration and bottling. 42 000 bottles were produced.

Tasting Notes

The wine has a stunning vibrant straw colour with tinges of green. The aromas are abundant with pungent notes of fresh guava’s, asparagus, lemon grass and fresh cut grass. There is an amazing freshness as the wine enters the palate, with fresh citrus, grapefruit flavours leading to a creamy mid-palate and a lingering crisp finish.

Food Pairing

Best served cold and drunk as an aperitif or served with fresh wild oysters, asparagus with hollandaise sauce or fresh grilled yellowtail with salsa verde.

Tokara is the embodiment of GT Ferreira’s philosophy that good wine, good food and good art go together to make a good lifestyle. The magnificent private commission of installation art by Marco Cianfanelli, The Mind’s Vine, encapsulates the narrative of the creation of TOKARA and reflects our origins as a superlative wine growing environment. It engraves the history of TOKARA into the experience of every visitor to this breath-taking estate. At the centre of the Cape Winelands lies the Simonsberg mountain, a fynbos-rich massif, home to exceptional vineyards since the 17th century. It’s on the southern slopes, with unrivalled views over False Bay to Table Mountain, that you will find TOKARA’s home vineyards and olive groves.

Vineyards

Situated 50km to the east of Table Mountain, the TOKARA “home farm” is rested on the Simonsberg side of the Banghoek Valley, at elevations of between 350m and 550m. Soil profiles are of weathered sandstone and decomposed granite, the combination lendingstructure, perfume and longevity to our wines. Our Highlands vineyard lies to the south of Stellenbosch in Elgin, a cool-climate area atop Sir Lowry’s Pass. Soils are predominantly Table Mountain sandstone imparting an ethereal scent to our Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc.

Background

In 1994 GT Ferreira purchased the Tokara farm for residential purposes. But that was until the wine-making potential of this land was discovered. The cool air makes for great wine and soon classic varietals were planted along the slopes of the Helshoogte Pass.From the estate, you’ll be able to catch a glimpse of Idas Valley, False Bay and the Simonsberg Mountains. Three different farms in Stellenbosch, Elgin and Hemel-and-Arde valley supply the Tokara winery. The Highlands vineyard in Elgin is surrounded by Fynbos and near the coast. Due to it being cooler in Elgin, the Highlands Sauvignon Blanc ripens six weeks later than the Tokara Stellenbosch Sauvignon Blanc vineyards. The Tokara Premium Wine Range includes Whites such as the Reserve Collection Walker Bay Chardonnay, Reserve Collection Noble Late Harvest, Walker Bay Sauvignon Blanc, White (Semillon), Elgin Sauvignon Blanc and Stellenbosch Chardonnay. The Red is called Red (A Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Petit Verdot blend).