August 17, 2006

Felicity Carter and Decanter staff

Len Evans, one of the best-loved figures of the Australian wine industry, died from a suspected heart attack on August 17 at age 75.


His death spells the end of an era in Australian wine. 'Len was the first person who told the rest of the world to take Australian wine seriously,' said Jeremy Oliver, author of biography Evans on Earth. 'He laid the groundwork that has created an environment in which it could flourish.'

'I had been dreading this news for years,' Hugh Johnson, a long-time friend and collaborator, told decanter.com. 'Len had been balancing caution (in moderation) with his irrepressible gusto for live and wine; gusto won and he has gone down in glory. Australia should have a day of mourning. I certainly shall. We shall never see the like of Len again.'

Sarah Kemp, publishing director of Decanter, said, 'Len represented all that was the very best about wine. There was no better educator or ambassador. He was a truly great man.'

Kemp recalled a celebration at Catalina Restaurant in Sydney, Australia in 1997, when Evans was chosen as Decanter Man of the Year. 'It was the party of the year. He always did everything in style. Whenever Len was there, you knew you were going to have a good time.'

'Len is justifiably credited with taking on the mantle of promoting table wine to consumers in the 1960s and 1970s,' said Stephen Strachan, CEO of the Winemakers Federation of Australia. 'Because of this we saw a significant shift away from fortified to table wines, which essentially set up the modern industry.'

A wine producer, judge, writer and speaker, Evans arrived in Australia from England in 1955, where he became a dingo fencer and television comedy writer.

Writing for The Bulletin, he became Australia's first regular wine columnist in 1962, and founded the Australian Wine Bureau in 1965, to promote table wines. In subsequent years, he worked tirelessly to promote the wine of his adopted country. In 1973 he wrote the first major Australian wine encyclopaedia; his Complete Book of Australian Wine remains an industry standard.

In 1982 he was awarded the OBE for services to the wine industry and charity; in 1999 the Order of Australia, one of the country's top honours.

Evans died in Newcastle, Australia, where he was picking up a relative from the John Hunter Hospital.

He leaves his wife, Trish and his children, Sally, Jodie and Toby.
quelle: www.decanter.com

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