Tesselaarsdal Wines

Tesselaarsdal Wines is one of the most significant stories in modern South African wine — a label born from heritage, mentorship, and the deep connection between a woman and the land her ancestors were given more than two centuries ago.

Berene Sauls grew up in the small Overberg hamlet of Tesselaarsdal, a community whose roots trace back to 1810, when the widow of former Dutch East India Company settler Johannes Tesselaar bequeathed land to the freed slaves who had worked the property. Berene's family were among those descendants, and she carries that history with her into every bottle she makes.

Her path to winemaking began at Hamilton Russell Vineyards in the Hemel-en-Aarde Valley, where she worked for fifteen years, eventually becoming cellar supervisor. It was Anthony Hamilton Russell who offered her the opportunity of a lifetime: a no-strings-attached startup investment to launch her own wine label. With the guidance of Hamilton Russell winemaker Emul Ross and the estate's cellar team, Tesselaarsdal Wines was born in 2015.

The first release was a 2015 Pinot Noir, made from grapes sourced from Mount Babylon on the Hemel-en-Aarde Ridge. It announced Berene as a serious talent. Since then, the range has expanded to include Chardonnay, and both wines have garnered outstanding critical acclaim — 93-point-plus ratings from Neal Martin at Vinous, Tim Atkin MW, and Jamie Goode, placing Tesselaarsdal among the most respected boutique producers in the Hemel-en-Aarde appellation.

Tesselaarsdal is the first wine project in the Hemel-en-Aarde area wholly owned by a member of a previously disadvantaged community — a fact that gives the label historical weight beyond its exceptional wines. Berene received the 2024 Western Cape Department of Agriculture Women Entrepreneur Award for Best Commercial Producer, recognition of both her winemaking quality and her pioneering role in the industry.

The wines are made in small quantities, with a focus on expressing the cool-climate finesse of the Hemel-en-Aarde Ridge. The Pinot Noir is elegant and perfumed, with the silky tannins and red-fruit purity that the appellation is celebrated for. The Chardonnay brings citrus, white stone fruit, and a fine mineral thread from the Ridge's clay and shale soils.

There is no tasting room — Tesselaarsdal wines are available through select retailers and by arrangement. This is a label built on story, substance, and the quiet conviction that great wine can come from anywhere, and anyone, given the chance.