The Fickle Grape

NZ actor Sam Neill talks Pinot Noir in a Time magazine profile. The star of Jurassic Park and The Piano established his Two Paddocks vineyard, which solely produces Pinot Noir, in Central Otago in 1993. “Pinot Noir is not one of those grunty, stand-a-spoon-up-in-it wines. It’s fickle and voluptuous and complex,” says Neill. “People say there’s a lot of wine in the world, but there’s not a lot of Pinot Noir, and admirers are looking for regional differences.” A notoriously difficult grape to grow, the most prized Pinot Noir traditionally comes from Burgundy’s 3-mile stretch of Côte d’Or. Central Otago Pinot Noir is gradually building a global reputation alongside those from similarly cool and rocky regions in Australia, the US and South America.