The first vines were planted at Moss Wood by obstetrician Dr Bill Pannell and his wife Sandra. The Pannells picked, pressed and bottled the early harvests by hand. Sandra Pannell tended vines and carted cases of wine to the railhead. Bill Pannell pruned and harvested, sometimes by moonlight.[2]
The 1975 vintage was a major success. Bill Pannell later described the Cabernet Sauvignon 1975 as "a little miracle".[3]