Tokara Stellenbosch South Africa Tokara is a picture perfect destination which offers visitors a unique combination of award-winning wines, brandy and olive oils, a gallery of fine art, a restaurant featuring one of South Africa’s leading chefs as well as a delicatessen. The winery, on the R310 outside Stellenbosch, is nestled among vineyards and olive groves on the crest of the Helshoogte Pass with sweeping views across False Bay and all the way to Table Mountain. Tokara prides itself on making wines that are site specific. Even though vineyards were initially planted on the southern slopes of the Simonsberg Mountain, two other farms, Highlands in the Elgin district and Siberia in the Hemel-en-Aarde Valley near Hermanus, were additionally acquired. In doing so the winery is able to produce wines which express the distinct characteristics of these three prime wine producing regions. Elected to South Africa’s prestigious Cape Winemaker’s Guild in 2012, Miles Mossop, lead winemaker at Tokara also makes small batch wines at his own boutique, eponymous winery. Miles’ first releases of his white blend Saskia and red blend Max occurred in 2004. The wines are of very high quality but produced in very limited quantities—a total of just one thousand cases per year. ‘My winemaking philosophy is simple. Source grapes from exceptional vineyards, pick them at the correct time and help guide them through the natural process if winemaking.’ ‘I aim to achieve wines with finesse and elegance but still showing aspects of power and fruit concentration, having great texture while maintaining balance.’