Jeff Burch
Owner and CEO  As the owner and CEO of Howard Park Wines Jeff is deeply committed to wine excellence and embraces a mantra of “no compromise” when it comes at all ingredients that make up the final glass of Howard Park.
Jeff’s interest in the world of wine began through his love of surfing and regular visits to Western Australia’s Margaret River. Frequent visits to the region presented Jeff with the opportunity to interact with the many great wine producers with whom he shared their passion for wine and hunger for knowledge. In the early 1980’s the Burch’s purchased a holiday house in the now famous coastal hideaway of Yallingup and in 1988 they purchased a rural property in the Wilyabrup Valley, the heart of Margaret River’s grape growing region. One thing lead to another and it was not long before Jeff was involved in building a winery in Denmark for Howard Park having become a partner in the business in 1993. In 1996 the first vineyard plantings began on the Margaret River property followed by the completion of Howard Park’s second winery and cellar door in Margaret River in 2000. Aside from wine Jeff is also a passionate family man and proudly combines his love for wine and family with the Leston Vineyard named after the late Leston Burch, Jeff’s father and mentor. Jeff’s brother David is the manager of the Leston Vineyard and sister, Lesley is the company Brand Ambassador for Australia. Jeff and Amy’s children also play an active role in the business with Nat Burch joining the company in 2005 as Administration Manager in Margaret River and David Burch joining the company in 2006 in sales in the South West region. At the wineries Jeff can be found in the barrel room sampling the wines of Howard Park whilst planning for the next tasting of Howard Park alongside some of the great wines of the old world that are stored in his ever expanding cellar to ensure our team does not end up with “a cellar palate”! Jeff is also focused on the development of Howard Park’s second vineyard in the Porongurup Ranges, selected for its elevation and cool climate to provide Howard Park with exceptional Riesling, Chardonnay and Pinot Noir in years to come. Jeff has been described by others as the focused but laid back, ‘lateral thinking’ businessman who is rarely seen wearing a tie. He is obviously passionate about wine and mad about golf (with a handicap of 15!) and surfing and is a member of several wine appreciation clubs. | Amy Burch
Owner  Amy’s passion for all things Howard Park is immediately evident when you visit the homes of Howard Park in Denmark and Margaret River. Amy’s energy, vision and enthusiasm have been the foundations for building Howard Park and like Jeff, her “no compromise” mantra filters through all aspects of the business.
Amy is the Marketing Director at Howard Park wines and is very hands on in the business. Her networking and marketing skills combined with her attention to detail ensures that the Howard Park experience is always exactly as it is intended. Alongside wine, Amy is also passionate about design and was instrumental in coordinating the construction of both the Howard Park Denmark and Margaret River wineries. The Denmark winery was completed in 1997 and the Margaret River winery in 2000. When designing the Howard Park Margaret River winery and cellar door, Amy pulled on her Asian heritage and consulted Feng Shui consultants Professor Cheng Juan Jun and Adriana Fernandes-Goncalves to assist with the adherence to ancient alignment principles. The brief to the architects was to create a cathedral like atmosphere for the range of Howard Park wines to be shown to the public. It should be a modern Australian structure using the materials that surround winemaking; wood, oak barrels, stainless steel, tanks and concrete. A building with a modern expression that is built to grow old rather than be built “olde. On describing the Howard Park Margaret River winery, aspects of Amy’s commitment to excellence are shown… “Our winery is built on functional principles, an Asian science which incorporates the environment, the people, colour, light and the orientation to bring out the best in the construction for visitors and those working in it. We changed the building’s direction for a northerly aspect and the size of the door, the choice of colours, where the water feature was placed, the colours of the gardens, the position of the amenities’ all to enhance the good fortune. You don’t get to build a winery every day. We wanted this to be special.” A comment from Amy on the 20th Anniversary of Howard Park: “As we walk around the vineyard, we look at what we have built over the past 14 years, with visions to the future of Howard Park Wines and ask ourselves: “Do we have the human spirit to continue to take on this enterprise in its entirety?”
It is without hesitation, that Jeff and I both give a resounding “YES!” Also passionate about her children and gardening, the former school-teacher’s favourite saying is "have fun" and "I want to do everything ". With this motto Howard Park is sure to continue to evolve and remain a leading family winery in Western Australia. |