Olive oil is in his DNA, he says with a gentle smile. He's Italian, after all.
Giulio Bertrand is a proud man today. Sitting in his beautifully restored Cape Dutch home at Morgenster in Somerset West, he tells me at length why it is that his olive oil is one of the best in the world.
And that's not a subjective view - Morgenster has just been voted best blended extra virgin olive oil by the Italian olive oil bible,
L'Extravergine - A Guide To The Best Certified Quality Olive Oil In The World.
Although Bertrand set out more than 10 years ago to make the finest-quality olive oil, he didn't expect this. "It's a book of the best in the world. I was very surprised," he says.
Bertrand is a genteel man, with an eye for beauty, and he sets high standards when it comes to the making of his wine and olive oil.
His sojourn in Somerset West began in 1992, shortly after he retired from his textile business.
Bertrand knew South Africa as he had worked here, and he searched for a Cape Dutch house.
He found Morgenster and thought it would be a wonderful place to stay for "about two months a year".
"I had retired in 1990 and was looking forward to reading books and seeing films - things I hadn't done enough of in my life, as my work hadn't allowed it."
During his search he had become familiar with wine farmers and the wine culture, and his thoughts turned to using Morgenster to indulge in a hobby.
"And I thought, in these hills I can put wine, and also olive trees. It was a hobby, but don't forget I've been a businessman all my life. And so I spent 1993 investigating - I wanted to produce French wine and Italian olive oil.
"So I put professors from the universities of Stellenbosch and Perugia (in Italy) together and made a plan. It was very amusing for me, I've always tried playing when I do business."
In 1994 they planted the first vines and olive trees.
Olive trees take three to five years to produce; soon after the first olive oil was made, it started winning accolades. Morgenster was the first South African olive oil to be awarded Italy's foremost prize, the L'Orciolo d'Oro, which it has received seven years in a row.
And now it's won the L'Extravergine award, competing against entrants from 26 countries.
Drinking a strong espresso in his classic H-shaped house, which dates back to the 1700s, we discuss why his olive oil is so special.
"There are several reasons. As with wine, so with good olive oil - terroir is very important. Here it is unbelievable for both - the breeze off the sea, a stony soil and the south-east wind," he explains. "Secondly, the right cultivars - I imported them from Italy."
To quarantine them when they first arrived, he built a nursery.
"And then, instead of demolishing it, I decided to contribute to the future of the South Africa olive industry, and sell plants. I realised there was a need. I want South Africa to be the best producer of extra virgin olive oil in the next 10 years."
The quality of his oil also depends on the right blend of cultivars.
And the olives have to be harvested at the right moment, when they're not too green, not too ripe. "The secret is, the pulp inside must be pink. We use only 80% of our olives - the rest are not considered good enough."
Then comes the critical time: they must be harvested and crushed within 24 hours, otherwise oxidation begins. "And that's why my press has a large capacity," he says.
The old Morgenster wine cellar has been transformed into a modern olive oil plant with a state-of-the-art Italian press.
"If I am looking to produce the best, I cannot do that by sending my product somewhere else. And hygiene is very important - olive oil is a delicate product, and becomes rancid. We're meticulous with hygiene."
The advantage of this press is its gentleness, "like in the old times" when the crushed olive paste, or pomace, was spread on woven mats, which were then stacked on a central spindle and hydraulically pressed to release the oil.
Each of the cultivars is pressed separately. There is no filtering or refining of the oil.
The olive oil is kept in big steel containers, at 14°C.
"We bottle only as we need to, when required by clients. And our olive oil when it is bottled is as good at the day it was pressed.
"If you do all this, the olive oil is not only good, it's the best," he says with smile.
Olives and wines are complementary, he says. "They're brothers in Italy, they live together, they have the same problems." And so too each olive oil year is unique.
"In our case our olive oil is a blend of many cultivars, and so the difference from year to year is less noticeable."
Bertrand's wines are also very good - on the Morgenster hillside he grows the classic red grape varieties, merlot, cabernet sauvignon and cabernet franc.
Which is more viable? In some cycles, he explains, it's wine, but right now there's too much red wine on the market, and olive oil is better than wine.
"Olive oil has a great future in this country. It's a good product, it's good for health, good for eating."