NB: This is a free audio taster – the full episode is available exclusively for Wine Blast PLUS subscribers. Use this link to subscribe to Wine Blast PLUS.

Summary

Sam Neill leads a double life.

He’s not Batman, or Bananaman.

He’s ConvivialWineChap (trademark pending). 

On the one hand, he’s world-famous actor Sam Neill, acclaimed for his starring roles in Jurassic Park, Peaky Blinders, The Piano and all that jazz.

On the other, he’s proud proprietor of Two Paddocks in Central Otago, New Zealand.

And this isn’t just wine cosplay, either.

Sam lives and breathes wine, describing himself as a Pinot Noir ‘obsessive’.

What’s more, his wines are some of the best in New Zealand – with four of his Pinot Noirs rating between 95 and 98 points in our New Zealand Wines of the Year 2026, and his Two Paddocks Pinot Noir 2023 carrying off the prestigious Red Wine of the Year award. (More on this below.)

It hasn’t been plain sailing for Sam of late, with a shock blood cancer diagnosis requiring urgent treatment.

Typically, he made use of the time to be productive, writing the funny, moving memoir, Did I Ever Tell You This? 

Now in full remission, he’s back into his double life, filming and farming, and eager to share a laugh and his unique take on wine and life in general.

In this frank, fascinating and funny chat, we talk everything from Pinot to Riesling, pigs to ducklings, Jesus to Jason Momoa, organics to ‘vile’ chemicals, history to heartbreak, Marlon Brando to Michael Fassbender.

Trust us – you won’t want to miss this one.

Short video taster

Links

• Here’s a link to our New Zealand Wines of the Year 2026 podcast show notes – in which Sam’s Two Paddocks Pinot Noirs put in a show-stopping performance…
• There’s a link on that page but, if you want the fast track, you can download our NZ WOTY report for free via this link: NZ Wines of the Year 2026 REPORT
• Here’s an article on Sam’s (and other local wine lovers’) opposition to the proposed mining plans for the region
• You can read our note on the Two Paddocks Pinot Noir 2023 from the report below
• By way of reminder, Sam’s memoir is called: Did I Ever Tell You This?

Wines

Here’s a recap on the Two Paddocks Pinot Noir results from our New Zealand Wines of the Year 2026.

• Two Paddocks Pinot Noir 2023, Central Otago (13%) – 98 points, Top Red award
• Two Paddocks The Fusilier Pinot Noir 2022, Central Otago (13%) – 97 points
• Two Paddocks The First Paddock Pinot Noir 2022, Central Otago (13%) – 96 points
• Two Paddocks The Last Chance Pinot Noir 2022, Central Otago (13.5%) – 95 points

And here’s an excerpt from our NZ WOTY report on the Top Red, Two Paddocks Pinot Noir 2023. (Spot the error: the pigs are Kunekune rather than Saddleback these days.) Plus a few bottle shots.

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Transcript

This transcript was AI generated. It’s not perfect.

Peter: Hello! This is a brief taster of an episode which is now live for our Wine Blast PLUS subscribers, which is a full-length interview with Sam Neill, sometime world-famous actor, full time New Zealand wine superstar.

Susie: I think we need to work on how we introduce Sam! But yes, we all know Sam Neill, star of numerous films and TV series like Jurassic Park, the Piano, Peaky Blinders, the Hunt for Red October, Dead Calm, and of course proprietor of Central Otago wine estate Two Paddocks.

Peter: Yeah, there were a couple of reasons why we wanted to catch up with Sam. one was that the last time we had him on the show was 2020 at a time when he was self-isolating in a hotel in Auckland after returning from shooting the sixth Jurassic Park movie. And a lot of water has passed under the bridge since then. Probably a lot of wine too, but there we go. Including Sam being treated for cancer and writing a very funny, moving autobiography, Did I Ever Tell You This? which comes highly recommended.

Susie: Now the other is that in our New Zealand Wines of the Year, the Two Paddocks wines put in a quite sensational performance. Four of Sam’s Central Otago Pinot Noirs scored between 95 and 98 points with his straight Two Paddocks Pinot 2023 carrying off the prestigious Red Wine of the Year award as the top red in the whole tasting. These are just fabulous wines. And when we told Sam his results, he said he was completely gobsmacked and delighted.

Peter: So we wanted to chat with Sam about wine and life and his ukulele, which he sometimes airs on Instagram videos. And ducklings called Jason Momoa and Jenna Ortega. All completely normal things. Here’s a taster of some of what we discussed. Remember, if you want to listen to the full thing, and trust me, you really should listen to the full thing, all you have to do is sign up at: wineblast.co.uk

Sam Neill: Good morning! My name is Sam Neill. It may not be morning with you, but it is here. And everything’s upside down in New Zealand. It’s mid-summer, it’s mid vintage and the sun is out. We haven’t had a very good year so far. Ah. So a little bit apprehensive when it comes to the grapes, but other than that, life is good. And, it’s good to be back on the farm.

Peter: So here we go. Sam Neill, quickfire questions. Acting or wine?

Sam Neill: All right, it’s 8 in the morning. I’m going to say acting. But if you’d asked me at eight at night, it would have been wine.

Peter: Love that. Ukelele or singing?

Sam Neill: I think it’s singing because no one laughs much when I sing. Not a lot, but the ukulele tends to crack people up a bit.

Peter: Pinot Noir or Riesling?

Sam Neill: Oh, a tough choice. it’s got to be. It’s got to be pinot Noir because 90% of what we do here is Pinot.

Peter: Screw cap or cork?

Sam Neill: Screw cap. Every time. I never want to sniff another cork in my life, let alone pull one out of a bottle, or put into one of my bottles of wine. Oh, my God! Corks make me bitter.

Peter: We don’t want to make you bitter. Most memorable wine moment?

Sam Neill: Well, I think, and this is what started me off and the story I’ve told before, but I was staying with James Mason and his wife in Switzerland, and we went to a very old auberge on the banks of Lake Geneva. I was a callow youth. I’d taken no particular interest in wine, nor could I afford to buy decent wine at this point. James ordered a bottle, and I still don’t know what it was. and I said, this is the most extraordinary thing I’ve ever drunk. What is it, James? And he said, this is Pinot Noir, my boy. It’s Burgundy. Don’t forget it. And I never forgot it. And almost immediately after that, because he’d, be kind enough to put me onto an agent, in London. I travelled to London and I lived there for the next ten years or so. And, I was working out of there, but I was just off the Edgware Road, and there were two or three shops there that had, Because I went there and they said, what would you like? And I said, burgundy. They said, white or red? I said, oh, it comes in two colours. And in those days, you could buy a really, really good, bottle of burgundy for 15 quid, you know, so, that’s before America discovered Pinot.

00:05:00

Sam Neill: So one of the things we do, which I think is a, Burgundy has become prohibitively expensive. One of the services that we do, the world, is, I think we produce comparable wines now at half the price Inside tip.

Peter: Great tip. What one thing would you most want to achieve professionally? And it can be either wine or acting.

Sam Neill: One thing. Look, I think I’ve sort of done most of it, one way or another, not meaning to. But I’ve sort of happened into. It does take time to, you know, get good at things. And, I Just did a series called The Twelve, which I think in the UK is on BBC2 or something like that. And I play a, barrister in it. And I really enjoyed making the series. But I’m also a big rock and roll fan. I went to see my friend Jimmy Barnes, who’s big rock and roll star in Australia. Went to see him, play. And he is amazing. You know, he’s almost as old as me. And I said to Jimmy, you’re singing better than you’ve ever sung before. And he pointed his finger at me and he said, you’re acting better than you’ve ever acted before. So I think I’ve got no particular, but I’ve never been an ambitious man. I’ve been free as one. Human vice I’ve always been free of. So every time I get offered a job, I go, wow, got lucky there. And, what are they thinking? Why me?

Peter: Can I ask after the pigs and the chickens particularly? I know you’ve got lots of different animals, but you take a lot of care, and they’re all individuals on your farm. Are there any highlights, that you want to tell us about? I know you had a bit of a scare with the chickens, didn’t you? But, I remember meeting Imogen Poots, the pig, when I was there. That was a long time ago. So can you give us an update on the status of the animals?

Sam Neill: Yes, Imogen, she passed on. And I’m really down to two Kunekune pigs, which are the world’s ugliest pig, which, I find very endearing. ah, Amy Adams is the younger one. and the older one, her mother is called Brian Brown. we don’t, you know, we’re fluid here when it comes to animals names. I lost my, she died of old age. Magda Zhubanski was my lovely, duck. She, died of old age, but she managed to rear two ducklings before she died. And I’ve sort of worked out which sex is which. Not going to go fluid with this one, but, I thought Jason and Jenna sounded like a good pair. So Jason is actually Jason Momoa, who visited the vineyard the other day. We had lunch and Jenna Ortega was here not so long ago. and, I thought Jenna and Jenna and Jason. That sounds like poetry. Poetry when it comes to ducks, you know. Anyway, so there’s them.

Peter: Did you ask. Did you. Did you tell them about your plans to name the ducks after them or when. When they visited? Or is that just.

Sam Neill: No, you don’t get consulted on these things. You just, you’re stuck with it. It’s an affliction. They can also say, well, I’m, you know, I do scary films, but, I’m also, I have a double life as a duck. You know, I think it’s something not a lot. That’s something not a lot of actors could say. the chickens. Yeah, there’s the main rooster, lost his tail. His name is Michael Fassbender. and a hostile dog came up here. Luckily not a killer dog, but one of those dogs that wants to retrieve animals and, made a terrible mess of Michael Fassbender. So next time you see Fassbender, the other, the fake

00:10:00

Sam Neill: Fassbender at a film premiere said, you don’t look the same without your tail, mate. He lost his tail completely and along with it, his dignity. It’s sad.

Peter: Now, when we last spoke, you reminded us that your motto, at Two Paddocks is that you’re in the cheering up business. When we last spoke, it was during the midst of COVID which is a horrendous time. And you were wonderfully uplifting then. but it seems like, you know, the world is also a very strange place right now and we, we all need cheering up more than ever, don’t we?

Sam Neill: Yes. And look, and I think I’m increasingly. This is an unpopular view, but I think alcohol forgetting wine for a minute. But then again, what other alcohol do you want to drink? Alcohol is getting a terribly bad rap at the moment. It’s so good bad for you, that’ll kill you. And all this other think, why have we been drinking alcohol? Why have we been making wine for thousands of years? Why have people gone to so much trouble of it? Christ’s first miracle was he turned water into wine. He didn’t turn into cocktails or non-alcoholic drinks in cans. No, that’s not a miracle. He turned a party that was absolutely crap into the best one. the host came up and said, you really turned things around. This is fantastic. Because it was wine, you know, because what does wine. The health benefits of wine, people overlook because they’re immeasurable. And, I think it’s that sense of community and laughter and, and telling stories, even if they’re not true. All that stuff that goes with a glass or two of wine. I, think we’re taking a beating for the wrong reasons. Because there are real health benefits. Those things keep you alive. Those things give you quality of life. It’s one thing being alive. I’m really healthy. And I haven’t had a drink for 40 years, but I’m not very happy. But, yeah, I’ve got a bit of hangover, but I had a fantastic weekend. I’m getting the hangover guy. Having said that, I never drink enough to get a hangover these days. Not these days.

Peter: so it’s about quality of life, not quantity of life per se. In a time of neo temperance.

Sam Neill: Yeah. And people, it’s hard to measure that, but it’s terribly important. And I cannot imagine, a good dinner drinking spritz or, you know, drinking something colorless and bubbly and has no flavour, you know, Perrier water. Not much fun in Perrier water.

Susie: Remember, if you want to hear the rest of this wide-ranging interview, and we promise that is the last we hear of Perrier water, subscribe to Wine Blast PLUS. You will not only be supporting the show, you’ll also get subscriber only bonus content like this, as well as early access to all episodes plus full archive access, not to mention subscriber benefits and giveaways.

Peter: Head to wineblast.co.uk or click the link in our show notes to find out more and sign up. Thank you and, cheers!

00:13:38