Australian Vintage Limited has acquired international ownership of MadFish Wines, one of the leading brands in the Burch Family Wines portfolio.
As part of the new strategic partnership, Australian Vintage has also been named the exclusive distributor of Howard Park Wines in the UK, Ireland, Europe, and Canada.
While the revenue from MadFish is comparatively small when put against the context of Australian Vintage’s overarching portfolio, the premium cool-climate wine brand will offer a much-needed, scalable volume boost in excess of 200,000 cases to complement McGuigan’s positioning in the UK market.
“MadFish is currently one of the top Australian wine brands in the UK market and growing, while Howard Park is a premium brand from the distinguished Margaret River region,” says Australian Vintage’s newly-appointed CEO Tom Dusseldorp.
“These brands will complement Australian Vintage’s existing stable of award-winning labels, providing increased volume and value without increased overhead.”
Meanwhile, the Burch family, which is one Australia’s first families of wine, will retain domestic brand ownership and distribution rights for all of its brand portfolio.
Jeff Burch, CEO of Burch Family Wines, says “MadFish began as a personal tribute to my coastal home – a love affair with place and wine – and has grown into something far greater than we ever expected. Partnering with Australian Vintage allows MadFish to scale internationally, while keeping the brand and its essence anchored in Western Australia, and our focus on crafting high-quality wines.”
Burch Family Wines and Australian Vintage have also agreed to a long-term sourcing and processing partnership to help safeguard quality as demand for the MadFish brand grows.
“This partnership exemplifies how the wine industry can take an innovative approach to acquisitions,” Tom Dusseldorp said. “In challenging times wine companies have a unique opportunity to come together, leverage each other’s strengths and unlock mutual value.”
The strategic partnership with Burch Family Wines is one of several initiatives that Australian Vintage flagged to shareholders this morning in its revised projections for the 2026 fiscal year.
In this announcement, the wine group also upgraded its forecast earnings for Poco Vino from $8 million to “conservatively over $10 million” with over 4,000 distribution points already confirmed for launch.
It is also expecting an increase in demand for its Lemsecco innovation, with an additional 80,000 cases expected to be sold in the 2026 fiscal year.
Despite this, Australian Vintage has forewarned a 3 per cent decline in sales for the current Financial Year 2025: “For the current fiscal year, without the benefit of significant innovation initiatives, the portfolio dominated by McGuigan and Tempus Two is anticipated to move in line with the overall soft market,” it wrote in an update to shareholders this morning.
“Australian Vintage continues to focus on advancing shareholder value by accelerating capital-light growth through partnerships and innovations,” added Tom Dusseldorp.
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Australian Vintage unveils new three-year growth strategy