One of the many exceptional privileges afforded to those with an interest in South African wine is the realisation that the country enjoys an advantage over other wine nations that almost seems unfair. Here, the seamless integration of breathtaking natural beauty across so many wine farms, combined with those same aesthetic marvels’ ability to produce wines of superlative quality, stands as ready proof that the Cape is, in truth, the most wonderful of wine countries.
The Stellenbosch estate Tokara has for well over two decades been known as one of the region’s – and the country’s – great properties, occupying a splendid stretch of ground against the heights of the Simonsberg. GT Ferreira, the well-known South African businessman, bought the land in 1994. The site, perched atop the Helshoogte Pass, was without vines but blessed with a spectacular position. Ferreira’s vision was to plant vineyards, make wine, and establish an exceptional destination – a place to visit, to live in, and to while away time over good wine. The cellar was built in 1999, and the first wines began rolling out in 2005, from the 2003 vintage.
Since then, Ferreira and Tokara have never looked back. From day one, the wines have carried a message reverberating from the elevated cliffs of the Simonsberg to the world: that Tokara is not merely another billionaire’s playground, but an estate built on winemaking excellence, proudly playing its part in South Africa’s premium wine sector. That reputation has been earned above all through fine Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay, along with a beguiling white blend of Sauvignon Blanc and Sémillon.
From the outset, Tokara was also a sought-after stop on Stellenbosch’s famous wine route – a place to taste wine in a setting with the kind of elevated view over vineyards, mountains and valleys that makes you wonder whether you’re not dreaming. There’s an excellent restaurant too, and, as has become tradition at modern cellars, striking artwork around every corner.
Consistent quality, paired with an address whose distinctive signature radiates excellence without dulling the pulse of a genuinely human place, has made Tokara one of the foremost wine destinations in the Cape Winelands.
All of this sounds rather grand, even faintly regal. But if there is one crown set atop the Tokara name, it is the wine called Telos. This red, made since 2015, stands as the absolute embodiment of the ethos and vision Ferreira wanted Tokara, and everything it represents, to convey.
And that’s precisely what the name means: Telos, Greek for the end result of a particular vision and purposeful process.
“Initially we suggested to GT that this special wine, Tokara’s flagship, should carry the name ‘GT’,” says Karl Lambour, Tokara’s managing director. “There aren’t many occasions on which GT rejects an idea immediately, flatly and without a second thought, but this was one of them. So it was back to the drawing board, and the name Telos was put forward, to a rather warmer reception.”
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