Wine tasting: actor Sam Neill's Two Paddocks vineyard in Central Otago

On Twitter, Two Paddocks describes itself as a “humble, familyowned wine estate. Producers and surveyors of fine pinot to both gentry and ratbags”. Behind the scenes is actor Sam Neill, who has starred in blockbusters such as Jurassic Park, and Oscar-winning films such as The Piano.

Two Paddocks is located in Central Otago, on New Zealand’s South Island. In 1993 Neill bought a paddock in Gibbston to grow some grapes for his friends and family. His friend bought the neighbouring paddock bringing together “Two Paddocks”.

Twenty years later, the winery has garnered a solid reputation for producing high-quality pinot noir and riesling. The wines have won accolades and perform well in competitions.

As Neill says adamantly, Two Paddocks “is not a celebrity wine by definition. The wine speaks for itself. It has its own power and following.”

Cinema and wine are seemingly worlds apart. For Neill, film occupies the “world of imagination”. Wine, he says, is about the farm and is three dimensional. “It is about the soil, air, light and living things.”

There are also some parallels. He says both have elements of art and craft.”The third aspect is a mysterious one. You can tick all the boxes and something does not work.”