15 December 2002, American Airline's American Way

Star Power

Many famous names are breaking out of their professions and into the business of winemaking …

By Anthony Dias Blue  

Excerpt from the article:
Neill 1999 Pinot Noir Two Paddocks
Central Otago, New Zealand

New Zealand actor Sam Neill has been chased by velociraptors in Jurassic Park, sucked into a black hole in Event Horizon, and compelled to engineer pure evil as Damien Thorn “the spawn of Satan” in Omen III: The Final Conflict. OK, fine; but what does a guy like this do for kicks? He makes wine, actually. Neill is the proud owner of the Neill Winery in Central Otago, New Zealand.

The winery is dedicated to Pinot Noir, a rising-star varietal on the New Zealand wine scene. Neill calls the wine Two Paddocks because the grapes come from two distinct vineyards. The first, called One Paddock Gibbston, was planted in 1993, and a second, Alex Paddocks, was purchased in 1998. Neill is now in the process of planting a third plot, known as Redbank Paddocks, which is also the source for a commercial lavender oil. The 1999 Two Paddocks is crisp, bright, and tangy with edgy acidity and lively fruit.

© Copyright 2002, American Way. Posted with the permission of the publisher.