Tokara is situated at the top of the steep Helshoogte Pass, about 5 kilometres from Stellenbosch. GT and Anne-Marie Ferreira acquired the farm in 1994 with the aim of building a family home in this spectacular location with its breathtaking views of the Simonsberg Mountains, Table Mountain, False Bay and the Idas Valley. They named their new property after their children, Thomas and Kara. It didn't take long before the entrepreneurial businessman GT (he started the financial company RCI, which merged with Johann Rupert's Rand Merchant Bank in 1985) realised that his farm was situated on some of the best grape-growing land in the region. His neighbour was Gyles Webb, who had founded Thelema in 1983, and had gained a reputation for producing some of the best wines in the country. And so, in 1998 the first vines were planted on the estate with GT's vision of producing world-class wines. The Tokara home farm vineyards are planted at an altitude of between 350 and 550 metres above sea level on soils of weathered sandstone and decomposed granite; these are some of the highest elevations and coolest vineyards in Stellenbosch and the wines have structure, perfume and longevity. Tokara's Highland vineyards are in Elgin to the south of Stellenbosch, in the cool climate region on top of Sir Lowry's Pass where the soils are predominantly Table Mountain sandstone, and the wines from here are imbued with exquisite aromas. At Tokara the focus is on Cabernet Sauvignon and Sauvignon Blanc, but they also cultivate Chardonnay, Chenin Blanc, Semillon, Syrah and Pinotage to craft three impressive ranges. The Tokara Premium Collection blends across sites, the Tokara Reserve Collection are single vineyard wines and the pinnacle of their portfolio is the flagship Tokara Directors Reserve which comes from the very best and most expressive parcels, used to create iconic Bordeaux blends. Everything at Tokara is meticulous and precise. They have cutting-edge technologies for vineyard analysis and wine production. Computerised control systems ensure the wines meet standards of excellence, and they are the first cellar to make commercial use of the NDVI process, which captures visible and infrared light emitted from vineyards to create a colour index describing variances between cultivated sections. Tokara's award-winning wines are intense, complex and balanced. These are distinctive and sophisticated wines which possess excellent cellaring potential. The Anno 1722 crest present on all Tokara bottles has a special significance for the Ferreira family; in the Cape of Good Hope a heavy storm in the 18th century led to ships grounding and over the next few days wreckage and people drifted to the shores. And so it was that on the 16th May 1722, the first mention of a Portuguese in the Cape was recorded – Inácio Ferreira from the merchant ship “Chandos” had safely reached the shore clinging to a wine barrel. He settled in the Cape, married Marta Terblanche and had eight children, one of whom they named Thomas. This name has been carried through his descendants and is present today in the name of the owner of Tokara, GT Ferriera's son, and in his own initials – GT stands for Gerrit Thomas.
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