Dreamers, by their very nature, tend to be supreme optimists, but no member of the Australian wine industry dared to dream bigger and with more optimism than Len Evans, writes Jeni Port of The Age.

When he arrived in Sydney in 1955 to the job of a factory welder, Australians didn't really drink table wine. For many years, more than half the annual grape crush had been distilled into brandy and spirit.

When he died on Thursday, aged 74, after a lifetime of promoting, cajoling, enthusing and commanding (even daring) a wine industry to see his vision and act on it, the results were there to be noted. Australia has become a major player in the international wine arena, the world's 10th largest producer, and Australians enjoy the highest per capita consumption of wine of any English-speaking country - 27 litres a head. It's an impressive legacy.

He learnt his early skills in wine at Sydney's Chevron Hotel, where he started out as assistant bar manager and, in the '70s, in his Bulletin Place restaurant. There was Len Evans the wine maker, writer, educator, industry leader, raconteur, wine judge and foodie, and even antique collector and sculptor.

It was his years as a wine educator, followed by his role as an industry consultant and judge, that steeled him for his greatest challenge. It arrived in 1998 when, after a stint as the Chairman of the Australian Wine Foundation, he finally launched the industry's 2025 Vision - a blueprint to become the world's fifth largest wine producer.

For the complete story, go to

www.theage.com.au

http://www.bernama.com.my/bernama/v3/news.php?id=214468