The film Jurassic Park and particularly the scene where two velociraptors hunt down John Hammond’s grandchildren in that chilling stainless-steel kitchen terrified me throughout my childhood. Alright, I’ll come clean, I was thirty years old when the film was released, but the terror remains. My own children, now grown will attest to the fact that I still have nightmares about those velociraptors. Understandably Irish born, but New Zealand citizen, actor Sam Neill, who takes care of the two children in the film, will always be one of my heroes (despite his brief sojourn as the son of the devil in Omen lll: The Final Conflict, balanced out by his perfect role in Hunt for the Wilderpeople, but enough of that).
Imagine my delight when I discovered that he was also a vineyard proprietor and a very entertaining one at that, a fact that popped up unexpectedly in my Twitter feed one day. Vineyard proprietor, it would seem, isn’t exactly his day job and doesn’t exactly pay the bills, since he famously said “I’d like the vineyard to support me but I’m afraid it is the other way round. It is not a very economic business. It is a ridiculously time- and money-consuming business. I would not do it if it was not so satisfying and fun, and it gets me pissed once in a while.”
I had heard that Two Paddocks wines were difficult to get hold of, but I am nothing if not tenacious, so took to Twitter to make enquiries. Who should pop up in the conversation but Mr Neill himself, who kindly put me in touch with a supplier in the UK. I rarely make a request to the guys at the shop to stock a particular wine, since they know so much more about that stuff than I’ll ever do, but ask I did (well, plead really, but we won’t go into that). So, lo and behold we now have Two Paddocks on the shelves of D. Byrne & Co. and they are my babies and they are all there because of those two velociraptors and a stainless-steel kitchen.
The Two Paddocks family is made up of four impressive vineyards scattered around the Central Otago region of South Island, New Zealand. It is a very tiny company obsessed with Pinot Noir and Riesling. All the vineyards are certified organic, something they take great pride in. The first grapes were planted in the Gibbston Valley in 1993 and the first vintage came out in 1997.
My current favourite that we have in stock is Picnic Riesling. The label features Neill’s Grandfather, Sydney Neill who was a wine merchant. Don’t let the wine’s name decide when you drink it, I have been known to quaff it on the beach with sand covered snacks, but it is just at home with lunch or dinner (sitting at a table like a proper grown-up). The grapes are hand harvested and it has a delicious off-dry, fresh style that should appeal to everyone. Lime, nectarine and wild flower aromatics lead to a rich warmly textured mouthfeel showing strong mineral drive with a soft vibrant finish. But enough of all that ‘wine-speak’, just try some!
They also grow saffron, lavender, have orchards and keep numerous decorative animals, who, incidentally are all named after Sam’s film-industry colleagues. Neill has a pig called Angelica, a rooster called Michael Fassbender, a cow called Helena Bonham Carter and rams called Jeff Goldblum and Timothy Spall.
If you want to watch more, check this little film out. In fact, when you’ve done that pour yourself a large glass of Two Paddocks and stick Jurassic Park on, you won’t be disappointed!