1966 Wine and Port Vintage
Vintage Summary and Recommendations: Welcome to Vintage Wine and Port’s 1966 wine page. Read on for our summary of the vintage, our top recommendations and region reports, or scroll down to explore all available wines.
The 1966 vintage is widely regarded as one of the standout years of the twentieth century, delivering exceptional quality across several key regions. In Bordeaux, the vintage produced structured and long-lived wines that have now developed into beautifully mature clarets with depth and complexity. In Italy, the best wines from regions such as Piedmont show classic, evolved character, while in Portugal the year is considered outstanding for Port, with most major houses declaring the vintage.
In key regions such as Portugal and Bordeaux, well-stored wines from 1966 are now at a superb stage of maturity. Vintage Ports from this year are particularly sought after, offering richness, balance and remarkable longevity, making them an outstanding choice for a 60th anniversary or birthday gift.
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Top Recommendation: Kopke 1966 Colheita Port
A superbly aged single harvest tawny Port from one of the oldest Port houses, offering exceptional depth, balance and complexity. Fully matured in cask and bottled ready to enjoy, this is a standout choice for a 60th anniversary gift.
Best Value: Rivesaltes 1966
A wonderfully mature fortified wine offering excellent value for a 60-year-old vintage. Long ageing has created rich notes of dried fruits, caramel and spice, making it a delicious and accessible alternative to Port.
Vintage Port Choice: Messias Cachão 1966 Vintage Port
A rare and prestigious Vintage Port from Messias’ flagship Cachão vineyard, offering impressive concentration, structure and depth. Now fully mature, it delivers complex flavours of dark fruit, spice and cedar, making it a superb choice for collectors and special occasions.
Classic Italian Choice: Barbaresco Lionello Cordoni 1966
A mature Barbaresco showing classic Nebbiolo character, with developed notes of dried cherry, leather, herbs and earthy spice. Now fully evolved, it offers elegance, savoury complexity and a beautifully refined drinking experience at over 50 years of age.
Fine & Rare Selection: Château d’Yquem 1966 Sauternes
A legendary sweet wine from one of Bordeaux’s most iconic estates, offering extraordinary complexity, honeyed richness and remarkable longevity.
This Year in History: Fun Fact: The Beatles play their last conventional live concert in Britain, at the Empire Pool (Wembley) on the bill alongside The Rolling Stones and The Who.
Eurovision Winner: Austria with the song "Merci Cherie" by Udo Jurgens
Top Grossing Movie: The Bible
France: 1966 was a very good vintage in Bordeaux, producing structured wines that have matured into elegant and long-lived examples.
Read full Bordeaux vintage report
The 1966 vintage in Bordeaux was initially characterised by firm tannins and relatively high acidity, giving the wines a structured and somewhat austere profile in their youth. Over time, however, these elements have softened and integrated, allowing the wines to evolve into more approachable and harmonious expressions.
Today, many 1966 Bordeaux wines display classic mature characteristics, including notes of cedar, tobacco, leather and gentle dark fruit, with softened tannins and balanced acidity. The vintage is particularly noted for its longevity, with well-stored examples continuing to offer a refined and enjoyable drinking experience.
The best wines from leading châteaux — such as Latour and Palmer — remain in excellent condition and are still drinking at or near their peak, with the structure to continue evolving for years to come. Other well-kept Bordeaux from the vintage can also provide very good drinking, offering a traditional and elegant style of mature claret.
In Sauternes, 1966 also produced some excellent wines, with favourable conditions allowing for good ripeness and concentration. At full maturity, these wines show rich, honeyed notes alongside dried apricot, marmalade and spice, balanced by freshness that keeps them lively and complex even after many decades.
Overall, 1966 is regarded as a reliable and rewarding Bordeaux vintage, where quality and provenance remain key to selecting bottles that are drinking well today.
Italian: 1966 was a good vintage for Italy, particularly in regions such as Piedmont and Tuscany, where the best wines have matured into elegant and characterful examples.
Read full Italy vintage report
The 1966 vintage in Italy produced some very successful wines, especially in northern and central regions. In Piedmont, conditions were favourable for Nebbiolo, resulting in structured wines with the balance and acidity needed for long-term ageing. These wines have now evolved into classic mature examples, showing developed notes of dried cherry, leather, tar and earthy spice, with softened tannins and a refined, savoury profile.
In Tuscany, the vintage also performed well, with traditional Sangiovese-based wines developing into elegant and fully mature styles. While not as powerful as the greatest vintages, the best examples offer charm and balance, with flavours of dried red fruits, herbs and subtle spice.
At over 50 years of age, the finest Italian wines from 1966 are best appreciated for their tertiary complexity and finesse rather than fruit intensity. Wines such as Barolo and Brunello from respected producers can still be drinking well today, offering a distinctive and rewarding experience for those who enjoy fully mature wines.
Overall, 1966 is considered a reliable and enjoyable Italian vintage, where careful selection and good provenance are key to finding bottles that continue to show well.
Portugal: 1966 is widely regarded as one of the finest post-war vintages in Portugal, producing exceptional Vintage Ports of great longevity and balance.
Read full Portugal vintage report
The 1966 vintage in Portugal is considered outstanding, with most of the major Port houses declaring the year. Although it was long overshadowed by the legendary 1963 vintage, it is now widely recognised as one of the very best post-war years for Vintage Port.
The wines from 1966 are characterised by their structure, balance and remarkable longevity. In their youth they showed firm tannins and concentration, but with extended ageing they have developed into beautifully integrated and complex wines. Today, the best examples display rich flavours of dark fruits, spice, chocolate and dried fig, alongside refined notes of leather and cedar.
One of the defining features of the 1966 vintage is its ability to age gracefully over many decades. Well-stored bottles remain in excellent condition and continue to offer depth, balance and freshness, with many expected to outlast their 1963 counterparts and evolve further in the years ahead.
Overall, 1966 stands as a benchmark Vintage Port year, producing wines of exceptional quality that make an outstanding and meaningful choice for a 60th anniversary or birthday gift.
23 products found.
Kopke, 1966
Colheita Port in Presentation Box
Decanter 2025 Gold Award Winner
Was £245 Special Offer £195
Decanter Review for the 1966 Kopke Colheita Port
Gloriously rich and savoury, with rich dried fig and apricot aromas, and the weight and texture of wood ageing. Dates, caramel, leather and thyme on a steely palate with brazil nut hints and roasted spices.
With amber colour and greenish hints. Refined and elegant, reveals richness in the aromatic diversity with noted of nuts, cocoa and wood splashed by a subtle vinegar denoting a great style.Full-bodied, round and concentrated mouth. The quince jam and vanilla flavours are blended with the dried fruit and the candied orange peel. Ends long and with an irresistible freshness. …
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Price: £195.00
Stock: 6 in Stock
Palmer Port, 1966
Colheita Port
75cl Bottle
Exclusive to Vintage Wine and Port
The 1966 Palmer Port Colheita (75cl) is a truly historic single-harvest Tawny Port, aged in seasoned oak casks for more than five decades. From one of the most celebrated vintages of the 20th century, this Colheita has developed extraordinary maturity, elegance and complexity. Bottled in the traditional 75cl format, it is a perfect choice for collectors, milestone celebrations or those wishing to experience a fine piece of Port history. Drink now or savour over the coming years.
Tasting Notes:
Deep mahogany-tawny with golden highlights. …
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Price: £189.00
Stock: 50 in Stock
Messias, 1966
Colheita Port
Gold - International Wine Challenge
Was £195 Now £175
Exclusive to VWP
Colheita Ports like the 1966 Messias are known for their exceptional aging potential. The extended aging in oak barrels allows the wine to develop complexity and a smooth, mellow character over time.
Award tasting note
"Light mahogany with wide lemon rim, raisin dated and tangerine on the rich, warm nose, generous, profound but stylish on the palate with rich supple fruit and a flossy texture, savour & deep with lovely fleshing finish".
Serving & Food Pairing
Colheita Ports are ready-to drink and do not require decanting. Best enjoyed slightly chilled at 12-13ºC they will work wonders if pairing with treacle tart, crème brulee or nut based desserts, like hazelnut praline. …
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Price: £175.00
Stock: 82 in Stock
Messias, 1966
Quinta Cachao Vintage Port
Messias Library Release
The 1966 vintage in the Douro was marked by classic conditions — a balanced growing season that allowed for full physiological ripeness without excessive heat. In the mid-20th century, producers like Messias focussed on traditional, patiently crafted Ports, favouring extended cask ageing and careful bottle evolution. Quinta do Cachão, perched on steep schist terraces in the Cima Corgo, has long been respected for its well-structured, expressive Ports, and this 1966 Vintage is a distinguished example of that era’s style: balanced, quietly powerful and beautifully aged.
Tasting Notes:
Now a deep amber-ruby with tawny reflections at the rim, the bouquet is richly evolved and multilayered. …
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Price: £265.00
Stock: 25 in Stock
Croft Port, 1966
Vintage Port
Unlabelled | Embossed Plastic Capsules
Croft Vintage Port, 1966
Vintage Port
The 1966 vintage in the Douro is widely recognised as one of the great declarations of the post-war era, producing Ports of structure, purity and exceptional longevity. A warm, dry summer ensured full ripening, while careful harvesting preserved freshness and balance. At Croft, one of the oldest Port houses, the vintage yielded a wine combining power with refinement — built for extended ageing and now entering a magnificent stage of maturity.
Tasting Notes:
Now a deep amber-garnet core with tawny reflections at the rim, the nose is richly evolved and complex. …
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Price: £245.00
Stock: 2 in Stock
Dow's, 1966
Vintage Port
Top shoulder - Plain label
Dow’s 1966 Vintage Port is a superb expression of one of the finest declared vintages of the 20th century. Known for its structure and longevity, this wine has developed beautifully over nearly six decades. Dow’s house style—drier and more austere than many of its peers—has given this vintage a distinctive edge, allowing it to age with poise, complexity, and remarkable depth.
On the nose, it offers an elegant tapestry of aromas: dried figs, sultanas, cedar wood, and hints of tobacco and dark chocolate. As it opens, more subtle notes emerge—orange peel, roasted nuts, and an earthy minerality that speaks to its Douro origins. …
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Price: £249.00
Stock: 1 in Stock
Fonseca Port, 1966
Vintage Port
Labelled | Excellent Provenance | high fill
Fonseca Vintage Port 1966
The 1966 vintage is one of the most celebrated in Port history, producing wines of great richness, structure and longevity. Fonseca’s 1966 stands today as a magnificent expression of both the vintage and the house’s opulent, fruit-driven style.
In the glass, it shows a deep amber-tawny core with mahogany and olive reflections, revealing its long bottle ageing. The nose is powerful yet refined, offering layers of dried black cherry, fig, raisin and orange peel, followed by notes of cocoa, spice, liquorice, polished wood and subtle floral lift.
On the palate, the wine is wonderfully concentrated but beautifully balanced. …
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Price: £385.00
Stock: 2 in Stock
Fonseca Port, 1966
Vintage Port Unlabelled | Embossed Capsule
The 1966 Fonseca Vintage Port is widely celebrated as one of the finest examples of classic Port from the 20th century. Produced in a declared vintage year, this wine exemplifies Fonseca's signature style—rich, powerful, and built for longevity. Even after nearly six decades, it continues to impress connoisseurs and collectors with its complexity and vitality.
In the glass, the 1966 Fonseca typically displays a deep ruby hue with subtle garnet reflections, indicating its maturity. The nose is intensely aromatic, offering a bouquet of black cherries, plums, violets, and hints of bitter chocolate and tobacco. …
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Price: £365.00
Stock: 9 in Stock
Fonseca Port, 1966
Vintage Port Plain label | Embossed Capsule
The 1966 Fonseca Vintage Port is widely celebrated as one of the finest examples of classic Port from the 20th century. Produced in a declared vintage year, this wine exemplifies Fonseca's signature style—rich, powerful, and built for longevity. Even after nearly six decades, it continues to impress connoisseurs and collectors with its complexity and vitality.
In the glass, the 1966 Fonseca typically displays a deep ruby hue with subtle garnet reflections, indicating its maturity. The nose is intensely aromatic, offering a bouquet of black cherries, plums, violets, and hints of bitter chocolate and tobacco. …
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Price: £365.00
Stock: 6 in Stock
Fonseca Port, 1966
Vintage Port Plain label | Embossed Capsule
The 1966 Fonseca Vintage Port is widely celebrated as one of the finest examples of classic Port from the 20th century. Produced in a declared vintage year, this wine exemplifies Fonseca's signature style—rich, powerful, and built for longevity. Even after nearly six decades, it continues to impress connoisseurs and collectors with its complexity and vitality.
In the glass, the 1966 Fonseca typically displays a deep ruby hue with subtle garnet reflections, indicating its maturity. The nose is intensely aromatic, offering a bouquet of black cherries, plums, violets, and hints of bitter chocolate and tobacco. …
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Price: £345.00
Stock: 2 in Stock
Fonseca Port, 1966
Vintage Port
Grants of St James Label
Fonseca Vintage Port 1966
The 1966 vintage is one of the most celebrated in Port history, producing wines of great richness, structure and longevity. Fonseca’s 1966 stands today as a magnificent expression of both the vintage and the house’s opulent, fruit-driven style.
In the glass, it shows a deep amber-tawny core with mahogany and olive reflections, revealing its long bottle ageing. The nose is powerful yet refined, offering layers of dried black cherry, fig, raisin and orange peel, followed by notes of cocoa, spice, liquorice, polished wood and subtle floral lift.
On the palate, the wine is wonderfully concentrated but beautifully balanced. …
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Price: £385.00
Stock: 1 in Stock
Fonseca Port, 1966
Vintage Port
Remains of label
Fonseca Vintage Port 1966
The 1966 vintage is one of the most celebrated in Port history, producing wines of great richness, structure and longevity. Fonseca’s 1966 stands today as a magnificent expression of both the vintage and the house’s opulent, fruit-driven style.
In the glass, it shows a deep amber-tawny core with mahogany and olive reflections, revealing its long bottle ageing. The nose is powerful yet refined, offering layers of dried black cherry, fig, raisin and orange peel, followed by notes of cocoa, spice, liquorice, polished wood and subtle floral lift.
On the palate, the wine is wonderfully concentrated but beautifully balanced. …
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Price: £370.00
Stock: 1 in Stock
Graham's, 1966
Vintage Port
Christopher and Co bottling
Excellent Provenance
The Graham's 1966 Vintage Port is a distinguished wine from a year celebrated for its exceptional quality. Declared by most major Port houses, the 1966 vintage has produced wines known for their richness, concentration, and longevity. Graham's 1966 Vintage Port exemplifies these traits, offering a complex and rewarding experience for enthusiasts and collectors alike.
In the glass, this Port presents a mature tawny hue with a garnet rim, indicative of its age. The nose is rich and complex, featuring aromas of ripe plums, chocolate, and sweet red fruits. On the palate, it delivers a harmonious blend of sweet plum flavors, a fleshy mouthfeel, and a lingering finish with notes of fig and coffee. …
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Price: £325.00
Stock: 6 in Stock
Graham's, 1966
Vintage Port
Christopher and Co bottling
Excellent Provenance
The Graham's 1966 Vintage Port is a distinguished wine from a year celebrated for its exceptional quality. Declared by most major Port houses, the 1966 vintage has produced wines known for their richness, concentration, and longevity. Graham's 1966 Vintage Port exemplifies these traits, offering a complex and rewarding experience for enthusiasts and collectors alike.
In the glass, this Port presents a mature tawny hue with a garnet rim, indicative of its age. The nose is rich and complex, featuring aromas of ripe plums, chocolate, and sweet red fruits. On the palate, it delivers a harmonious blend of sweet plum flavors, a fleshy mouthfeel, and a lingering finish with notes of fig and coffee. …
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Price: £325.00
Stock: 5 in Stock
Graham's, 1966
Vintage Port
Justerini and Brooks
The Graham's 1966 Vintage Port is a distinguished wine from a year celebrated for its exceptional quality. Declared by most major Port houses, the 1966 vintage has produced wines known for their richness, concentration, and longevity. Graham's 1966 Vintage Port exemplifies these traits, offering a complex and rewarding experience for enthusiasts and collectors alike.
In the glass, this Port presents a mature tawny hue with a garnet rim, indicative of its age. The nose is rich and complex, featuring aromas of ripe plums, chocolate, and sweet red fruits. On the palate, it delivers a harmonious blend of sweet plum flavors, a fleshy mouthfeel, and a lingering finish with notes of fig and coffee. …
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Price: £325.00
Stock: 1 in Stock
Graham's, 1966
Vintage Port
Plain Label
The Graham's 1966 Vintage Port is a distinguished wine from a year celebrated for its exceptional quality. Declared by most major Port houses, the 1966 vintage has produced wines known for their richness, concentration, and longevity. Graham's 1966 Vintage Port exemplifies these traits, offering a complex and rewarding experience for enthusiasts and collectors alike.
In the glass, this Port presents a mature tawny hue with a garnet rim, indicative of its age. The nose is rich and complex, featuring aromas of ripe plums, chocolate, and sweet red fruits. On the palate, it delivers a harmonious blend of sweet plum flavors, a fleshy mouthfeel, and a lingering finish with notes of fig and coffee. …
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Price: £325.00
Stock: 3 in Stock
Graham's, 1966
Vintage Port
Finest Reserve
Graham's is a great port house, producing one of the deepest-coloured and sweetest styles of vintage port. Along with Taylor's and Fonseca, Graham's has probably been the most consistent producer of great port in the post- World War II era. Their vintage ports are truly sublime and sumptuous. The 1966 is full, vigorous, rich and classy on the palate. Not too sweet. This is a big concentrated, very fine example. Bags of life ahead of it.
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Price: £335.00
Stock: 2 in Stock
Quinta do Noval Nacional, 1966
Vintage Port Nacional
Quinta do Noval Nacional is undoubtedly one of the most legendary fortified wines in the world. It is produced from a small area at the heart of the Quinta do Noval vineyard planted with ungrafted vines that have remained untouched by Phylloxera
Warm, complex nose with a hint of herb and medicine, as well as some floral notes. Soft, mellow palate with liquorice and old furniture. Beautifully complex: warm, soft and intense. 93/100
Learn more about Quinta do Noval
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Price: £1,450.00
Stock: 1 in Stock
Sandeman, 1966
Vintage Port
Sandeman, 1966 Vintage Port
The 1966 vintage is widely regarded as one of the finest declarations of the 1960s. A warm, dry summer in the Douro allowed the grapes to ripen fully, producing wines of exceptional concentration, balance and longevity. Many of the great Port houses declared the vintage, and the resulting wines have developed beautifully over decades in bottle.
Sandeman’s 1966 Vintage Port shows the elegance and refinement for which the house is known. With extended bottle age, the wine develops a complex and layered bouquet of dried blackberry, plum and fig, intertwined with notes of walnut, cedarwood, tobacco and warm spice. …
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Price: £219.00
Stock: 1 in Stock
Taylor Fladgate, 1966
Vintage Port Plain Label
The 1966 Taylor Fladgate Vintage Port is a distinguished wine from an exceptional vintage. This port exhibits an intense ruby color and an elegant, fresh nose with floral notes reminiscent of violets. On the palate, it offers a harmonious balance of intense fruit flavors, notably figs, supported by a well-structured mineral and tannic framework. The wine maintains a refreshing quality, with flavors that persist through a long finish. Notably, it still possesses the potential for further aging, indicating years of great life ahead.
Critics have praised this vintage for its elegance and complexity. …
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Price: £325.00
Stock: 1 in Stock
Warre's Vintage Port, 1966
Vintage Port Plain Label
Warre’s Vintage Port 1966 is another classic from a strong declared vintage and represents the house’s elegant, understated style beautifully. The 1966 vintage overall produced structured, balanced Ports with great ageing potential, and Warre’s offering from that year has long been admired for its finesse, complexity, and gentle maturity.
By now, Warre 1966 has taken on a deep amber-tawny hue with brick-orange highlights. On the nose, it shows wonderfully evolved aromas — think dried fruits (figs, dates, and cherries), orange peel, walnuts, leather, and subtle spices like cinnamon and clove. …
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Price: £265.00
Stock: 2 in Stock
Fonseca Port, 1966
Vintage Port
Plain label | Rewaxed
Fonseca Vintage Port 1966
The 1966 vintage is one of the most celebrated in Port history, producing wines of great richness, structure and longevity. Fonseca’s 1966 stands today as a magnificent expression of both the vintage and the house’s opulent, fruit-driven style.
In the glass, it shows a deep amber-tawny core with mahogany and olive reflections, revealing its long bottle ageing. The nose is powerful yet refined, offering layers of dried black cherry, fig, raisin and orange peel, followed by notes of cocoa, spice, liquorice, polished wood and subtle floral lift.
On the palate, the wine is wonderfully concentrated but beautifully balanced. …
more >>>
Price: £325.00
Stock: Out of Stock
Warre's Vintage Port, 1966
Vintage Port
Warre’s Vintage Port 1966 is another classic from a strong declared vintage and represents the house’s elegant, understated style beautifully. The 1966 vintage overall produced structured, balanced Ports with great ageing potential, and Warre’s offering from that year has long been admired for its finesse, complexity, and gentle maturity.
By now, Warre 1966 has taken on a deep amber-tawny hue with brick-orange highlights. On the nose, it shows wonderfully evolved aromas — think dried fruits (figs, dates, and cherries), orange peel, walnuts, leather, and subtle spices like cinnamon and clove. …
more >>>
Price: £295.00
Stock: Out of Stock