Page 34 - WINE DINE AND TRAVEL FALL 2020 South Africa

Breathtaking Blend quiet home to raise their family when they pur-
Art and architecture, vineyards and gardens, chased a small farm there in 1994. Five years later,
wine-making and fine cuisine - all are equals in the they ventured into wine-making, naming the new
stellar blend that is Tokara Wine Estate, the first venture after their children Tom and Kara. The
of the area’s wineries we visited. A half-hour Uber first vintages in 2003, that combined the talents of
drive from Franschhoek (only 3 miles if you’re viticulturist Aidan Morton and winemaker Stuart
coming from Stellenbosch), this stunning, world Botha, were greeted with acclaim - as have re-
renowned winery enjoys one of Winelands’ most leases ever since.
spectacular settings in the foothills of Simonsberg Traditional varietals, Cabernet Sauvignon and
Mountain. Views stretch across beautiful native Sauvignon Blanc, and classic Bordeaux blends
fynbos, undulating vineyards and olive groves to dominate Tokara’s wines, but the wine estate it-
the waters of False Bay and, on a clear day, the self is refreshingly contemporary. Operations, in-
Cape Town’s iconic Table Mountain. cluding the tasting room, restaurant and family
Grapes have been tended in this area for cen- friendly deli, are housed in a glass, steel, stone and
turies, but Tokara owners GT Ferreria, a banking concrete structure that embraces the majestic
magnate, and his wife Anne-Marie sought only a landscape while hosting all the necessities of a
modern wine enterprise.
34 WINE DINE & TRAVEL MAGAZINE 2020