Sam Neill is the owner of Two Paddocks winery in Central Otago. He is also an actor with a string of very grown-up movies and several Golden Globe nominations to his credit. (Also to his credit as a wine producer, if you key in www.samneill.com, you’re sent straight to Two Paddocks.)
Having met him in both NZ and London, and knowing him to be very far from an unbearable ultra-lovie, I recently asked him to Sunday lunch with New Zealand's best known wine writer Bob Campbell MW who also happened to be in London. Nick gave them rare roast tuna with the newest of potatoes and salsa verde, tasty Lancashire cheese and St John Eccles cakes while I gave them a much-appreciated Egon Müller Scharzhofberger Rieslng Spätlese 1993 Saar, a couple of excellent Baden Pinot Noirs from Keller and Wassmer (served blind and reported on in more detail here) which opened their eyes, a very lively Coche-Dury 2005 Bourgogne Rouge, a rather sweet Dry River Pinot Noir 2001, a pretty tart Dom Denis Bachelet 1996 Gevrey-Chambertin and a richly delicious René Muré Gewurztraminer Vendange Tardive 2006 Alsace Grand Cru which went beautifully with the cheese.
I then expected Neill to sing for his supper. Cruel but true, although as I told him, I should have been far more nervous about filming this movie star on my little FlipVideo than he should have been about waffling about wine. Here we are by a flickering fire on a Sunday afternoon. Note the Oscar-standard camera-work from your humble (film) producer. I recently tasted the bottle of Two Paddocks, First Paddock Pinot Noir 2006 Central Otago he left and enjoyed it a lot. It's unashamedly fruity and friendly but has an attractive hint of mushrooms on the nose and real depth to it and none of the sweet and sour character that can mar some of New Zealand's less inspiring Pinots.