Winkler Index helped establish Western Australian wine regions

The Winkler Index, a scientific formula developed by American academic Albert Winkler to estimate heat accumulation during the growing season, played a critical role in the development of the Western Australian wine industry.

In the 1960s, the Western Australian government sought to replace declining apple orchards with vineyards. Using the index to identify regions with heat loads similar to global benchmarks like Bordeaux, scientists and growers targeted areas such as Mount Barker in the Great Southern region for trial plantings. This scientific approach helped establish the locale as a premier site for Cabernet Sauvignon, with Plantagenet Wines becoming the first commercial winery in the area following the initial 1965 trials.