Q & A with Sam Neill

SN: What’s distinctive about Central is the vivid, bright fruit. There’s something about the clarity of air here—you can see 100 miles with that blue air sweeping right down to your feet. That’s what Central Otago Pinot Noir is to me. The wines offer a new and equally valid expression of Pinot Noir—similar to how Marlborough changed the perception of Sauvignon Blanc. It’s immediately apparent that a good Sauvignon Blanc from Marlborough is a departure from Sancerre or Pouilly Fumé. It’s true for the Pinots from Central Otago too. We’ve been growing Pinot here for only 20 years—a drop in the bucket so to speak. We’re still learning more about ourselves, our wines, our terroir.

WE: You have quite a menagerie at the Two Paddocks estate. Who are some of the resident animals?

SN: We have a goat—his job is to keep the water races free of weeds—and potbellied pigs. I also have Suffolk sheep, the ones with black faces—they’re rather graceful lawn adornments. Every time I come home, there are more rare chickens—we’re up to about 10 different breeds. I also have a sheepdog that’s completely baffled by sheep, but she has one chicken that’s her friend. She’s more of a chicken whisperer than a sheepdog. Finally there’s the company dog, Fire, who recently ate my Mini Cooper S.

WE: Does The Proprietor have any closing thoughts?

SN: I regard my life with wine as an adventure—not just my growing of wine grapes, but my wine traveling as well.