The small town was once a large farm called Hartebeestrivier. That was until East India settler Johannes Jacobus Tesselaar (who the town is now named for) came along; upon his death in 1810 he divided the farm into pockets and bequeathed the different sections to freed slaves. Many direct descendants of the original landowners still live in Tesselaarsdal today, including Berene Sauls—who is making her own history by purchasing a plot of land in the region of her ancestors, on which she’ll be planting pinot noir and chardonnay.
Though she’s been in the wine business for approximately two decades already: as a long-time employee of Hamilton Russell Vineyards as well as the owner of her own wine brand Tesselaarsdal Wines, which she launched in 2015.
When I track Berene down – over, you know, Zoom – it’s clear she’s a woman who has many balls in the air. A single mom of two sons, she’s currently consumed with a borehole project on her farm that’s leaking cash, and not to mention the on-going liquor ban, which has turned her five-year plan into a 10-year one… Do I see a stressed, harassed, tired looking woman? Not at all. She reminds me of this quote by Roald Dahl: If you have good thoughts they will shine out of your face like sunbeams and you will always look lovely. Berene is full of light and humour, and I can imagine it’s just this inner-strength that has seen her beating down one challenge after the next.
So, how did this story begin? Berene admits she comes from a beer-drinking community; wine was never on the radar. That was until fate intervened with a position as an au pair for Anthony Hamilton Russell’s four children.
“I lasted a month,” laughs Berene. Child-minding aside Anthony recognised Berene’s drive and thought maybe a job assisting the marketing manager, Talita Engelbrecht, would suit her better.
What followed was a year of learning the ropes of the wine business—from every angle. “I got my business sense from Talita, she shaped me from all sides.
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