Berene Sauls is a descendant of the freed African Khoi slaves who were bequeathed the Tesselaarsdal village land by former East India Company settler Johannes Tesselaar in 1810. Berene began her winemaking career after working as an au pair looking after the children of Hamilton Russell Vineyards' winemaker in 2001 before taking on an administrative position at the winery. Her curiosity soon turned towards the delicate process from grape to bottle, the much-layered wine culture and living the excitement of each harvest. Fifteen years later with the expert assistance of Hamilton Russell Vineyards winemaker Emul Ross and his team, she released her first wine in 2015 under her Tesselaarsdal label in homage to her family legacy to international critical acclaim.