Len Evans (wine columnist)

Leonard Paul Evans AO OBE (31 August, 1930 - 17 August, 2006) was an English-born Australian promoter, maker, judge, taster, teacher and drinker of wine. "The Oxford Companion to Wine" writes that he did "... more to advance the cause of wine in Australia than any other individual." Others have referred to him as "the godfather of the Australian wine industry" and "Australia’s leading ambassador of wine."

Biography

Len Evans was born in Felixstowe, England. He migrated to New Zealand in 1953, then to Australia in 1955. After various experiences, he became the first regular wine columnist in Australia (1962), he was the founding director of the Australian Wine Bureau (1965), and he wrote the first major encyclopedia of Australian wine (1973). He was one of the first leaders to recognize that the future of Australian wine lay in table wines rather than in the sweet fortified wines in which the country then specialized.

In 1967, Evans co-authored a book with expert gourmet Graham Kerr, "The Galloping Gourmets". The two got their nickname from a 35-day worldwide trek to the finest restaurants around the globe. The "Galloping Gourmet" persona, however, became more associated with Kerr, who would later host a globally-syndicated cooking show, "The Galloping Gourmet".

Evans was Chairman of Rothbury Wines since its founding in 1969 until 1996, and Petaluma from 1978 until 1992. He was Chairman of Evans Wine Company since 1996, Evans Family Wines from 1980 and Tower Estate since its founding in 1998.

Len Evans transformed the blind tasting of wine into a competition sport through his creating and developing the options game in which competitors attempt to identify the identity of wines.

Because of his achievements, he has received many awards, including Epicurean Award for services to the Wine & Food Industry, the Charles Heidsieck Award for Wine Writing, Personalitee de l'Annee, (1986) Paris (Oenology section - Gastronomy), Chevalier de l'Ordre Merite Agricole (French Government), first Life Member of the Society Of Wine Educators (1995), elected Member of the College of Patrons of the Australian Wine Industry, Restaurant Association Hall of Fame, "Decanter' Magazine" - International Award for "Man of the Year," and appointed as an Officer in the General Division of the Order of Australia.

After a history of heart disease dating from 1976, Len Evans died of a heart attack on 17th August 2006, in Newcastle, New South Wales.

Writing on wine

Len Evans felt that it was important that wine be demystified, and that everyone should have an appreciation and basic understanding of it, rather than an educated elite. To this end, he wrote a column for wine in the Australian Women's Weekly for years, disussing various wines, usually very reasonably priced, in an open, relatively jargon-free manner.

See also

*List of wine personalities

ources

*Oliver, Jeremy. "Evans on Earth". Melbourne,: Lothian Books, 1992.
*Robinson, Jancis (Ed.) "The Oxford companion to wine". Oxford, England: Oxford University Press, second edition, 1999.
* [http://www.winepros.com.au/jsp/cda/authors/author_profile.jsp?authorid=40 Len Evans]
* [http://www.google.com/search?q=cache:KNtSNZj7KrgJ:www.thewinedoctor.com/otherresources/evans.shtml+%22Len+Evans%22+Australia+wine&hl=en&gl=us&ct=clnk&cd=2 Wine Books: Len Evans]
* [http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,21985,20159905-661,00.html "Melbourne Herald-Sun" "Wine guru Len Evans dies" August 17, 2006]