TOKARA WINS DECANTER GOLDS

May 2009

TOKARA winery has been awarded 10 medals at the prestigious Decanter World Wine Awards including gold for the TOKARA Walker Bay Chardonnay 2007 and the TOKARA Zondernaam Sauvignon Blanc 2008.

The Decanter medal haul announced in London on May 12 follows closely on the Stellenbosch winery scooping gold for the TOKARA Red 2005 and six other medals at the International Wine Challenge - the world's biggest wine competition featuring wines from 41 countries.

The results confirm that TOKARA made the right decision to invest in cooler climate vineyards to source white grapes. TOKARA's vineyards were initially planted on the southern slopes of the Simonsberg Mountain at the Stellenbosch property, ideal for quality reds. But the winery later acquired two other farms, Highlands in the Elgin district and Siberia in the Hemel-en-Aarde Valley near Hermanus, to enable the production of white wines which express the distinct characteristics of these cooler regions.

These relatively young vineyards have already produced outstanding wines including the gold wining TOKARA Walker Bay Chardonnay 2007.

"I was surprised by the quality of the grapes sourced from these vineyards, as you usually need older Chardonnay vines to get concentration and depth in the wine. I did not expect to bottle Walker Bay Chardonnay under our TOKARA label so early, but did so because I knew the quality was there," Mossop said.

Incidentally the TOKARA Walker Bay Chardonnay 2007 was the white wine served at the inauguration celebration of President Jacob Zuma at the Union Buildings in Pretoria on Saturday May 9 - an event attended by 27 heads of state.

TOKARA also produces under the Zondernaam label and the TOKARA Zondernaam Sauvignon Blanc 2008, which won gold at Decanter and silver at the International Wine Challenge, reaffirmed the quality of this "second" label.

"Our Zondernaam wines are great value, and I am not embarrassed by them sometimes outperforming our TOKARA branded wines in competition because you want your second label to show up well. I am not surprised by its showing in competition because it is a very accessible wine," Mossop said.

He was also delighted with the TOKARA Red 2005 gold medal and with the silver medals the TOKARA White 2007, rated 5-star by the Platter guide, received at the Decanter Awards and the International Wine Challenge.

Speaking from London where he was representing TOKARA at the London International Wine Fair, Mossop said the response from the public and the trade had been very good. "It's fantastic that our top end wines are showing well against the best wines in the world. Members of the trade visiting the show are enjoying our wines and are going to be adding them to their restaurant lists."

TOKARA Winery, on the crest of the Helshoogte Pass on the R310 outside Stellenbosch, is open for tasting between 9am and 5pm weekdays and from 10am to 3pm on Saturdays and Sundays. For more details visit www.tokara.com or email or phone +27 21 808 5900.

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