Tokara

GT Ferreira, a co-founder of FirstRand and one of South Africa's most prominent businessmen, purchased the farm on the Helshoogte Pass in 1994 as a family home. His neighbour, Thelema's Gyles Webb, persuaded him to recognise the land's exceptional viticultural potential, and first Cabernet Sauvignon vines were planted in 1996. Ferreira formally committed to the wine business in 1999, construction of a state-of-the-art cellar followed, and the first harvest took place in 2000 under the Zondernaam label, a reference to the property's original 17th-century listing as 'the farm with no name'. The premium Tokara label launched in 2005 to mark a clear quality tier above Zondernaam. The estate name itself is a combination of the founding couple's children, Thomas and Kara.

• Land purchased 1994 by GT Ferreira, FirstRand co-founder; formal wine venture launched 1999; first harvest 2000
• Estate sits on the crest of the Helshoogte Pass, about 5 km from the town of Stellenbosch, on the Stellenbosch side of the Banghoek Valley
• First Cabernet Sauvignon vines planted 1996; Tokara premium label introduced 2005 above the original Zondernaam tier
• Elevation range of 350 to 550 metres above sea level on weathered sandstone and decomposed 400-million-year-old granite

Tokara's Reserve Collection Cabernet Sauvignon 2021 was awarded Best in Show at the Decanter World Wine Awards 2024, scoring 97 points and earning 5 Stars in Platter's 2025 Wine Guide. It joined a global field of only 50 wines to receive Best in Show status at the world's largest wine competition, an outcome that confirmed Tokara's place at the upper end of South African Cabernet. In November 2025, the estate ranked 71st on The World's 50 Best Vineyards extended list alongside Delaire Graff, La Motte, and Hamilton Russell, with judges singling out the Helshoogte corridor as a convergence point for wine, food, and contemporary South African art.

• Reserve Collection Cabernet Sauvignon 2021: 97 points and Best in Show, Decanter World Wine Awards 2024, one of only 50 wines so awarded that year
• Ranked 71st on The World's 50 Best Vineyards 2025 extended list, one of four South African estates recognised
• Cabernet Sauvignon accounts for roughly 65% of Tokara's vineyard plantings, reflecting the estate's varietal focus
• Telos, at 1,000 bottles per vintage from a single Simonsberg block, sits above all three Tokara ranges as a benchmark single-block Cabernet

Stuart Botha took over from long-serving Miles Mossop in 2017. An Elsenburg Agricultural College graduate (2006), he gained experience at Château Bellefont-Belcier and Château Trianon in Saint-Émilion and led winemaking at Eagles' Nest in Constantia before joining Tokara. He was named Young Winemaker of the Year in Tim Atkin MW's South Africa Special Report 2025. Botha's approach centres on terroir expression: wines are vinified parcel by parcel before blending, with grapes hand-sorted and gravity-fed directly into fermentation tanks. The estate was the first cellar in South Africa to make commercial use of the NDVI process, capturing visible and infrared light from the vineyards to map vine vigour and identify variances between cultivated blocks before harvest.

• Winemaker Stuart Botha trained at Elsenburg and Saint-Émilion; joined Tokara 2017; named Tim Atkin Young Winemaker of the Year 2025
• Grapes hand-sorted and gravity-fed to fermentation tanks below rooftop reception level, minimising mechanical intervention
• First South African cellar to use NDVI commercially: visible and infrared light analysis maps vineyard variances for targeted block decisions
• Soils of decomposed granite and weathered sandstone on the Simonsberg foothills lend structure, perfume, and aging potential to the wines

Tokara organises its wines into three clearly defined tiers. The Premium Collection offers fruit-driven, accessible wines blended from across the estate's sites. The Reserve Collection showcases terroir-specific, single-vineyard expressions in limited volumes, including Cabernet Sauvignon, Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, and Syrah. The Director's Reserve represents flagship blends from the finest parcels: a Cabernet Sauvignon-dominant red (first vintage 2003) and a Sauvignon Blanc and Sémillon white (first vintage 2004). Above these sits Telos, the pinnacle single-block Cabernet Sauvignon limited to 1,000 bottles per vintage, first released from the 2015 vintage and aged 22 months in roughly 65% new French oak. The estate also produces a Cap Classique sparkling wine and an XO Potstill Brandy distilled from Chenin Blanc.

• Three main tiers: Premium Collection (multi-site blends), Reserve Collection (single-vineyard), Director's Reserve (flagship blends of best parcels)
• Director's Reserve Red: Cab-dominant Bordeaux blend, first vintage 2003; Director's Reserve White: Sauvignon Blanc and Sémillon, first vintage 2004
• Telos: single-block Cabernet Sauvignon, 1,000 bottles, first release 2015 vintage; 92% Cab, 8% Petit Verdot, 22 months in 65% new French oak
• Portfolio also includes a Cap Classique sparkling wine and an XO Potstill Brandy produced from Chenin Blanc in copper potstills

The Tokara estate is designed as a holistic destination where wine, food, olive oil, and contemporary South African art converge. The restaurant, which opened in 2004, is adorned with five tapestries by internationally acclaimed artist William Kentridge and offers fine dining with panoramic views over the Stellenbosch winelands to False Bay and Table Mountain. The Ferreira family are patrons of contemporary South African art, and sculptures are placed throughout the estate's fynbos gardens. The Tokara Delicatessen offers a family-friendly bistro experience. The olive oil programme, launched by Anne-Marie Ferreira in 2000, has grown from 4 hectares to more than 22 hectares of Tuscan varieties including Frantoio, Coratina, Leccino, and Mission, producing cold-pressed extra virgin olive oil in a boutique mill using Italian pressing technology.

• Restaurant opened 2004; decorated with William Kentridge tapestries; panoramic views to False Bay and Table Mountain
• Olive oil programme started 2000 by Anne-Marie Ferreira; now 22+ hectares of Tuscan varieties producing cold-pressed extra virgin olive oil
• Estate-wide sculpture collection curated throughout fynbos gardens, olive orchards, and the pathways between the winery and delicatessen
• Tasting lounge looks directly into the fermentation cellar, offering visitors a candid view of the winemaking process

The winery building at the crest of the Helshoogte Pass combines natural stone, concrete, and glass to blend with the surrounding mountain landscape rather than dominate it. Grapes are received at rooftop level, hand-sorted, and gravity-fed down into the fermentation tanks below, eliminating the need for pumps and reducing mechanical stress on the fruit. The gravity-flow design reflects the estate's commitment to minimal intervention. Tokara was the first cellar in South Africa to make commercial use of the NDVI process, which captures visible and infrared light from the vineyards to map vine vigour and identify variances between blocks, enabling precise, targeted decisions in the vineyard before harvest.

• Gravity-flow winery: grapes received at rooftop, hand-sorted, then gravity-fed to fermentation tanks below without pumps
• First cellar in South Africa to use NDVI commercially, mapping vineyard variances via visible and infrared light analysis
• Building uses natural stone and clean lines to complement rather than compete with the surrounding mountain landscape
• Tokara has committed to reducing absolute Scope 1 and Scope 2 greenhouse gas emissions by 63% by 2035 from a 2024 baseline