A tale of a Tesselaarsdaller

The Estate

Tesselaarsdal was founded in 2015 by long-standing Hamilton Russell Vineyards employee Berene Sauls. It is named after the historic Overberg farming hamlet of Tesselaarsdal—not far from the Hemel-en-Aarde Ridge wine appellation—where Berene was born, a descendant of the freed slaves who were bequeathed the land of the Tesselaarsdal valley by former Dutch East India Company soldier Johannes Tesselaar’s widow in 1832.

The Present

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

Grape purchases are secured with Babylon Vineyards, Hemel-en-Aarde Ridge (unirrigated vineyards)—until Tesselaarsdal’s vineyards is secured and ready for harvest. I will focus production on Pinot Noir as our climate and soil type is best suited for this cultivar.

The Future

The Tesselaarsdal Wines dream is to create wines from its own vineyards in Tesselaarsdal, Overberg. In 2019 we acquired 16 hectares which will be planted with Pinot Noir and Chardonnay.

The past

I grew up in a small village called Tesselaarsdal, situated 24 km North East of the Hemel-en-Aarde Valley, Hermanus, in the Overberg region. Tesselaarsdal has a unique history: in 1810, Johannes Tesselaar bequeathed his farmland to his servants and slaves. I named my wine Tesselaarsdal to honour that legacy.

I initially joined Hamilton Russell Vineyards in February 2001 as an au pair, aged 19. I soon moved to an administrative position on the estate, became involved in the export, labelling and warehousing of the wines.

Experiencing so many aspects of the business, I became curious about winemaking, the delicate process from grape to bottle, the layered wine culture—living the excitement of each harvest.