From left to right: Francois Naudé, Magda Naudé, Heather and Kevin Arnold, Norma Ratcliffe, Johann Krige, and Vera Sperling. Photo: Delheim Wine Estate
Francois Naudé Senior, former cellarmaster of L'Avenir Wine Estate, Pinotage aficionado, and Keeper of the Key of the Cape Winemakers Guild, passed away last week. Our thoughts are with Melissa, Francois Jnr, Fabien, Catherine, and Dylan during this difficult time. Francois certainly left his mark and he will be very much missed.
Following his passion for wine, Francois Naudé moved from Pretoria to Cape Town after a career as a pharmacist. Aged 45, he started over and worked various odd jobs, from handyman gigs to private wine-tasting tours.
A chance meeting through a handyman job led him to befriend Marc Wiehe, who tasted his homemade wine during a dinner party and said: "Why don’t we buy a farm?" They teamed up to build L'Avenir Wine Estate, the farm Marc bought in 1992.
During his career as the cellarmaster and winemaker at L’Avenir, Francois was recognised by the wine industry for the pioneering role he played in producing wine of top international standard consistently. Francois became a member of the prestigious Cape Winemakers Guild in 1996, and, in 2005, he became honorary president (or "Keeper of the Key") of the guild.
Francois was awarded seven Absa Top 10 Pinotage awards during his winemaking career for the L'Avenir Pinotage. He also won countless other accolades at competitions like the Chardonnay du monde, Chenin Blanc Challenge, International Wine and Spirit Competition, and more.
After he retired from formal winemaking in 2005, Francois started producing the iconic Le Vin de Francois, a Pinotage blend made up of the best barrels produced by a number of estates in the Stellenbosch region, among other L'Avenir, Kanonkop, Simonsig, and Beyerskloof. This wine was sold at an auction, held annually between 2008 and 2019, where the lucky invitees scrambled to secure a couple of precious cases.
Francois's memorial service will be held in early-September. Details to follow.
Tributes to Francois Naudé
"Today I am celebrating my friend and mentor, François Naudé, who just passed away. François would have loved to be celebrated with a glass of wine, a glass of one of his best wines.
François has been a game-changing winemaker since the late 90s. He even pushed for my name to be joining the Cape Winemakers Guild, even if my winemaking philosophy was controversial then (I was just in advance of my time...) and very different from his clinical approach of winemaking (he was a pharmacist before being a winemaker), but I felt honored to be respected by him.
He was one of my first clients when I imported French top corks, and the L'Avenir CWG Pinotage Reserve 2000 bottle I just opened in his honour was one of my own stoppers, a rare fire branding 49mm extra quality by PB.
I will never forget this trust he had in me, and the moments we shared talking for hours at L'Avenir.
My friend, your 2000 CWG wine rocked today, you are very much alive in our memories." - Jean Vincent Ridon
"I love him for his interest in quality wine. I recalled from Chevaliers du Tastevin club in Pretoria. A Pinotage lover and more. I have fun memories with him and Ian van Niekerk. My condolences to the family." - Germain Lehodey
"We raise a toast to Francois Naudé, who was a family friend, wine pioneer, and inspiration to Pinotage blending. His enthusiasm and passion were larger than life and always spilled over wherever he was. The fabric of the South African wine industry was made richer with his contributions." - The Spatz family of Delheim Wine Estate
"Baie jammer om te hoor. Hy was so passievol as hy oor wyn gepraat het. Wat n legende van die wynbedryf." - Tinnie Momberg
"A wonderful man who did so much for the industry. Love and sympathy to his family from us both." - Lynne and John Duncan Ford
"Francois was for me always special both as a winemaker and for being so approachable. His wines were impeccably crafted and his passion for Pinotage unequalled." - Harald Bresselschmidt
Should anyone wish to share their messages of condolences, please send them to editor@wine.co.za, and we will add to this tribute.