Born in the UK in 1966, Howard landed in a Melbourne migrant hostel with parents John and Alice and sister Helen in 1970 as 10 pound poms.

He cut his teeth in the wine trade during the late 1980's before being appointed Export Manager Asia for Mildara Blass in 1994, a pioneering role for Australian wine at the time.

Barossa became home in 2003 with wife Annemaree and daughters Molly and Maeve. In 2005 he started at Peter Lehmann Wines as head of business development for Asia & Canada before discovering with absolute delight the small end of town at Teusner Wines in 2012.

From 2017 he headed up the Artisans of Barossa group, and since 2019 has managed a wine business consultancy. He is also a contributing writer for WBM. In his 35 plus years in wine, Howard may have done almost everything bar grow grapes and make wine — luckily, he believes there is still time left!

He was Chairman of the Wine Barossa Committee for 6 years, on the organising committee for the 2005 and 2007 Barossa Vintage Festivals, and has held positions on the Barossa Australia, Tourism Barossa and Food Barossa boards. He enjoys quietly raising funds for Foundation Barossa and other good causes via whatever means necessary — usually lunch.

He knows Barossa Shiraz to be a most exceptional, delicious and satisfying wine and that Eden Valley Riesling contains magical restorative powers. He is now hell-bent on exposing some of the world's great wine secrets such as Barossa Grenache and Mataro.