Behind the vine

Berene Sauls - Tesselaarsdal - Hemel-en-Aarde, South Africa

When do you think you fell in love with wine, enough to make a career of it?

I came from a farming community that was 23km away from Walkers Bay - a famous wine area in South Africa. My grandmother farmed goats and she and my mother would walk over the mountain range to the nearest trading town, Stanford, also another winemaking area.

After completing school I initially joined Hamilton Russell Vineyards in February 2001 as an au pair at the age of 19. I soon moved to an administrative position and quickly got involved in the much more complicated administration linked to wine exports, labelling as well as warehousing of the estate’s wines. Experiencing so many aspects of the business already, my curiosity turned towards the delicate process from grape to bottle, the very layered wine culture and living the excitement of each harvests.  

Fifteen years after starting my career in the Hemel-en-Aarde Valley, Anthony Hamilton Russell offered to assist me with the wonderful opportunity to wholly own my own wine business and join the rest of the Hemel-en-Aarde area as a producer with the expert assistance of Hamilton Russell Vineyards wine maker, Emul Ross and the Hamilton Russell Vineyards’ team.

In 2019 I bought a piece of property in Tesselaarsdal - 16 hca, N-W slope, clay soils. I want to erect vineyards in my home - with a tasting room, cellar, storage. I want to be a part of the Tesselaarsdal economic revival. Currently, my grapes are secured with Babylon Vineyards, Hemel-en-Aarde Ridge (unirrigated vineyards) until my own property is developed and for harvest.

What story does your wine tell?

Tesselaarsdal is the name of my hometown, a small village situated in the heart of the Overberg 23km NE from the Hemel-en-Aarde Valley. It has a unique history where Johannes Tesselaar left his property to his then freed slaves upon his death in 1810, I am a descendant of those slaves and my family still lives there.

I named my wine Tesselaarsdal, honouring my history and continuing my family legacy. I focus production on Pinot Noir and Chardonnay as Hemel-en-Aarde climate and soil type is best suited for those cultivars. We often reference to Burgundy and I suppose my palate is very much shaped by these great wines.  I love the diversity of wines in South Africa, and I am particularly fond of Pinot noir produced in our area. The wine expresses the Ridge which ripens later in Bokkeveld Clay-rich soils – both wines reflects a clean pristine fruit character with a crystalline minerality.

The place and the roots of where I'm from is close to my heart and all of my stories are on my wine label, which was designed by my brother and finished by a talented young designer in Cape Town. Every bottle of Tesselaarsdal has been personally handled by me and two other women. A unique, personal experience. It's a new breed of wine.

When people drink Tesselaarsdal, I want them to picture a small village where a vineyard is now erected. Picture a single mother with two sons running vineyards in Tesselasdaal. We are the first people of color that own a farm that we worked very hard for and I will be the first woman, and the first known brand to establish there. We’re passionate about this - it's not a brand, it's our legacy. It's my son’s inheritance that is eventually going to continue into a new generation.

What misconceptions about wine do you think people should forget?

Wine is to be enjoyed across all ways of life not just a certain class. Wine education from the community-side needs a lot of work.

If you earn under a certain amount of money, you can start with buying non-premium wine, but that doesn't mean that's not quality. Mass produced wine versus non-premium wine is important to understand. It’s looking for quality. Ultimately it's about your senses. You either like it or you don't. Or you love the story and have a wine interest. Or you're a chef and love a fruit-profile vs. savoury-first. It’s all individual.

What great things about wine do you think people should remember?

Every wine is an expression of its origin and the vintage.

What is a piece of advice you would give to a woman interested in breaking into the wine world?

Do it for the love and passion of wine and get the job done.

Who is a woman in wine you think everyone should know about?

I have a few….in no particular order - Olive Hamilton Russell on Hamilton Russell Vineyards, her wine knowledge I extensive, Samantha O’Keefe from Lismore Wines, Kiara Scott vibrant young winemaker at Brookdale Estate, Jessica Sauerwein, Caroline Rilemma with her own vineyards near Gansbaai, Carmen Stevens and Ntsiki Biyela.

Where can women find your wine?

Online or in any wine boutique in South Africa.

It’s also in the following stockists: Vineyard Brands USA, Swig Wines UK, VINVIN Wines The Netherlands, KK Wines Denmark, Raffine Societe Wines Japan, Vinarius Norway, Wein und Sein Switzerland, Avengers Wine South Korea, Trialto Canada.