Vintage 1966
Below average rainfall during the growing season, a dry winter before vintage and frost damage in October and November 1965 led to lower yields and lighter yields after several good years. Very rich concentrated reds were produced, many of which are still excellent. Excellent white wines were also produced that year.
In 1966 there were 7,209 hectares of vines in the Barossa and 24,736 tonnes of wine grapes were crushed in that vintage.
Wine growers lobbied for a wider range of grape varieties to be allowed into Australia and the Barossa Vine Selection Society was formed to improve the range of planting material.
The report of the Royal Commission on the Wine Industry in South Africa was also released and a Grape Industry Advisory Council was formed.
The contour method of replanting vines was now widely used in Eden Valley and water management received a boost with the introduction of a more accurate soil moisture measuring device, the Probe neutron, which was first used at the Nuriootpa research center of the Ministry of Agriculture in 1966.
Unfortunately, high winery stocks from the previous vintage led to falling prices – and the introduction of decimal currency did little to alleviate this situation.
Two five tonne Gradon Whitehill airbag presses (Wilmes type) were installed for draining and pressing white grapes at Leo Buring. The reds continued to be squeezed into press cages. Some of the first large capacity stainless steel tanks (10,000 and 20,000 gallons) in the Barossa installed at Leo Buring.
The 1965 Penfolds Grange Hermitage, made primarily from Barossa fruit, won the 1966 Jimmy Watson Trophy – the company's second – providing further recognition to Grange, the Barossa and the great 1965 vintage.
Wolf Blass purchased land on the northeast end of Nuriootpa and launched its own Wolf Blass wines in a collection of post-war Nissen huts. The first Wolf Blass Yellow Label wine was from the 1966 vintage.
