Inside Sam Neill’s winery estate where animals have celebrity names

Inside Sam Neill's New Zealand Estate where Jurassic Park star built a winery and named farm animals after celebrities

Jurassic Park star Sam Neill died at the age of 78, just weeks after saying he was cancer-free following a long battle with Stage 3 angioimmunoblastic T-cell lymphoma.His family announced his death in a post shared on his Instagram account. They said he died in Sydney, Australia, surrounded by his loved ones, whom they described as his whanau, the Maori word for extended family.Born in Northern Ireland to an English mother and a New Zealand father, Neill whose career spanned more than 100 film and television productions, often said his greatest passion was not acting but his New Zealand winery, Two Paddocks.Neill bought the first piece of land for the winery in 1993 and expanded it over the years. Although it became a successful business, he admitted that it was acting that allowed him to keep the vineyard running."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," he told The West Australian in 2008.

He also said the work brought him happiness despite the cost. "It is a ridiculously time- and money-consuming business," he said. "I would not do it if it was not so satisfying and fun, and it gets me pissed once in a while."Neill said his aim was to make some of the world's best organic wines.

On the winery's official website, he explained that he first wanted to produce a good pinot noir for his family and friends."I wanted to produce a good pinot noir that would, at the very least, be enjoyed by my family and friends," he wrote. "Frankly, my friends will pretty much drink anything, so this didn't seem too hard," he added.He said the vineyard's first vintage in 1997 exceeded expectations despite a difficult growing season.

The following years brought even better results, encouraging him to expand the property by planting more vines.By the time of his death, Two Paddocks had grown to include four vineyards across Central Otago. These included The First Paddock in Gibbston, Red Bank Farm & Vineyard and The Last Chance in Alexandra, and The Fusilier in Bannockburn, which he added in 2013, according to realtor.com.For many years, Neill's life at the winery stayed out of the spotlight.

That changed during the COVID-19 pandemic, when he began sharing videos from the farm on social media.

Neill said his aim was to make some of the world's best organic wines.

His posts introduced followers to the animals living on the property, some of which were named after people he had worked with in the film industry, including a cow named after Helena Bonham Carter and a pig named after director Taika Waititi.Speaking to Women's Weekly in 2021, Neill said spending time on the land was "an enormous privilege."

"I feel like I am part of the soil," he said. "I love the whole process and the changing of the seasons."In another interview with The Sydney Morning Herald, he explained that returning to the farm after filming helped him disconnect from Hollywood."When I wrap a film, I plunge back into life on the farm with my people here, with the animals, vines, the landscape."And the annual rhythm of winter, growth, harvest, fermentation.

I think one is kind of a relief from the other; they are completely different worlds."According to the Financial Times, Neill lived in a converted tractor shed on the property. The one-bedroom home had a wood-burning stove, simple interiors and artwork by New Zealand artists.He said his greatest joy came from the land around him, where he spent years planting native trees to help local wildlife return."Every time I come back here, these trees are a little more mature. I'm planting a lot more native trees, and the native birds are coming back; these things give me immense pleasure," he said.