Sam Neill Winemaker

Filed in archive Celebrities and Wine , New Zealand Wines , Wine Making on February 2, 2007

Add yet another celebrity to our list of winemakers (hey, good thing I finally added a category for that on this blog awhile ago!): Sam Neill! He's one of my all time favorite actors. I always seem to enjoy whatever role he plays. Piano, for example, was probably one of the best films I remember him in.

Movies, though, is not the only industry on this actor's mind. He's looking to branch out into the Asian wine market. Smart fellow!

I saw this posted on Star Plus.com:

jurassic park star Sam Neill is serving up a treat to Hong Kong fans - his new boutique red wines.

The 59-year-old actor oversees three vineyards in the Central Otago region of New Zealand's south island under the Two Paddocks label.

And yesterday he popped the cork on his wine in Hong Kong, which is viewed as a launching pad for businesses targeting the Chinese market.

The Hunt For Red October star signed bottles for customers and posed for pictures at an organic food store which will carry his wine.

Although he is expanding his business overseas, he insists that his company is still a small business because it only produces 3,000 cases of wine a year.

He adds, "I think if we started expanding into China we'd be swallowed up in a minute."

image from I am Sam