TOKARA’s vibrant new Sauvignon Blanc vintage is the perfect summertime companion for warm weather sipping and alfresco dining.
Crafted from Elgin and Stellenbosch vines, the just released Tokara Sauvignon Blanc 2020 is vibrant with an abundance of Cape gooseberries, green apples and passion fruit.
“The finish is refreshing and crisp with a slight oyster shell salinity that makes it quite moreish,” says winemaker Stuart Botha.
Tokara Sauvignon Blanc lends itself beautifully to seafood especially Sam Linsell of Drizzle and Dip’s delicious prawn pasta with tomatoes, garlic and cream, recipe below.
Tokara Sauvignon Blanc 2020 is available countrywide and sells at the cellar door for R95. For online purchases click here.
The 4th Tokara wine to earn Top 10 status this year is the Director’s Reserve White 2017, taking top honours for Sauvignon Blanc-Semillon Blends in the 2020 Prescient Sauvignon Blanc Report convened annually by Winemag.co.za. Tokara winners from earlier 2020 Top 10 Wine Reports are the top tier Director’s Reserve Red, the Reserve Collection Cabernet Sauvignon and the Reserve Collection Syrah.
The Director’s Reserve White 2017 is also one of the top performers with 95/100 in Tim Atkin’s South Africa 2020 Special Report. Ranked as one of his wines of the year, Atkin described the wine, as “always among the best white Bordeaux blends in the Cape”. He pronounced the 2017 vintage “especially impressive” and “one of the best recent vintages in South Africa.”
Showing exhilarating notes of ripe passion fruit and pink grapefruit with hints of lemon grass and freshly baked brioche, this consummate blend of Sauvignon Blanc (69%) and Semillon (31%) is made from grapes grown on the highest slopes of Tokara’s Stellenbosch property. The Sauvignon Blanc Wine Report describes the wine as having a “reined-in power about it”: “The palate is full but balanced with great purity of fruit, fresh acidity and a saline finish.”
The wine is available R280 per bottle at the Tokara tasting lounge. For online purchases, click here.
PRAWN PASTA WITH TOMATOES, GARLIC & CREAM
Ingredients
250g linguini or spaghetti
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp butter
4 anchovy fillets, chopped
300g prawn meat (after skinned, deveined and heads removed)
250g baby tomatoes halved
3 cloves garlic, crushed
½ red chilli finely chopped or ½ teaspoon dried chilli flakes
6 sundried tomatoes in olive oil vinaigrette, blitzed in a small food processor or bashed up to a paste in a pestle and mortar
½ cup Tokara Sauvignon Blanc
1 Tbsp baby capers or chopped capers (optional)
1/3 – ½ cup cream
2 Tbsp finely chopped parsley
Small handful wild rocket leaves
Zest of half a lemon
Salt & pepper
Method
Get a large pot of salted water on the boil and cook your pasta according to the pack instructions and until al dente.
Get the sauce going about five minutes into cooking the pasta. Heat a large non-stick frying and add the butter and olive oil. Once bubbling, add the anchovies and prawns and toss about until the prawns just start turning pink. Add the garlic and chilli and cook for about 30 seconds and until fragrant.
Add the wine to deglaze the pan and allow most of the liquid to cook off. Then add the tomatoes, sundried tomatoes and cook for about 2 – 3 minutes.
Add the cream and capers and allow this to thicken slightly.
Drain the pasta and reserve some of the cooking liquid. Tip the pasta into the pan to finish off cooking with the sauce. Add some of the cooking liquid to loosen the pasta and toss in the chopped parsley, wild rocket and grated lemon zest. Season with salt and pepper and serve immediately in large bowls.
PHOTO CREDIT: SAM LINSELL
