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LEN EVANS - 1996
Len Evens left his beloved Wales at the age of three and moved to England. In 1953 he left behind a promising career as a professional golfer to immigrate to Australia. He has tried his hand at various jobs including welding, ring barking, script writing and washing glasses in a pub before embarking on a career in the food and wine industry.
At the Chevron Hilton Len Evans established the finest cellar of Australian and imported wines in the country. He also started a long tradition of lunches, first with the Friday Club and then the Monday Club and finally the Single Bottle Club.
In 1965 he established the Australian Wine Bureau to promote Australian wines and in 1968 he founded Len Evans Wines and The Rothbury Estate. He was chairman until 1996.
Mr. Evans is a member of the Wine and Food Society; Chevalier de Tastevin (Commandeur May 1980). He was the first winner of the Epicurean Award 1969 for services to the Wine and Food Industry in Australia, the Charles Heidseick Champagne Award for wine writing 1972, Champion to the Barons of the Barossa 1976, St. Vincent Trophy, Champagne 1976, Personalite de’l Annee (Paris) 1986.
Mr. Evans has acted as a Wine Judge for many years, being first an Associate Judge in 1963 and a Judge from 1964. He was appointed Chairman of Judges in Sydney in 1978, Chairman of the National Wine Show, Canberra in 1983 and Chairman of Judges in Adelaide 1988. He is one of the few wine judges to have adjudicated at all major Australian wine shows – Sydney, Brisbane, Canberra, Melbourne, Adelaide, Perth and Hobart. In 1972 he was the only non-French member of the super jury at Tournous in France, during the Tasse d’or award and he was the only Australian to judge the Olympiades de Gault and Millaut in Paris in 1979.
In 1982 Mr. Evans was awarded the OBE for his service to the community and to the Australian Wine Industry.
Mr. Evans is well known as a public speaker. He is also an energetic worker for charity, frequently helping to organize functions and run auctions for such organizations including The Smith Family, Royal Institute for the Blind, the Primary Club, the Leukemia and Cancer Research Trust, MS. Mr. Evans is also an active member of the Australian Fund.
Over the years Mr. Evans has written a number of books some of which include, Wine for Profit 1968, The Galloping Gourmet 1969, Indulgences 1980, Good Evans 1981, Complete Book of Australian Wine 1990. Mr. Evans has also written various articles for journals such as The Bulletin, Independent, Qantas Traveller and newspapers including the Sunday Mirror and Weekend Australian.
In 1990 Mr. Evans was appointed the President of The Australian Wine Foundation.
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