Jeff Burch grew up in the Adelaide Hills with the National Forrest as his backyard and the vineyards of South Australia just a stone’s throw away. He developed his love of wine when moving to Western Australia with his parents, where he would drive down to Margaret River in the late 1970s to surf. He was drawn to the lure of wine and the wine country that encompasses one of Australia’s most acclaimed regions.
Wine became a big passion and commitment for Mr Burch after a varied and interesting career as a patrol officer in Papua New Guinea, developing businesses in Australia, Indonesia, and USA. In 1988, he purchased the first property and named it Leston Vineyard after his father and mentor, Leston Burch. The vineyard was purchased with the aim of producing Margaret River fruit, establishing firstly Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay and Shiraz.
Always intending to develop Howard Park as a sustainable wine company, Mr Burch has advanced Mt Barrow in Mt Barker, Great Southern which now delivers the quality of fruit needed for the Riesling, Chardonnay, Pinot and Cabernet for Howard Park wines and MadFish wines. As the owner of Howard Park Wines, Mr Burch is deeply committed to wine excellence and embraces the mantra of “no compromise” when it comes to all ingredients that make up the final glass of Howard Park.
