Overview: Following the death of actor Sam Neill on July 13, 2026, sales of his Two Paddocks wine label experienced a massive surge across New Zealand stores. Liquorland reported a 1,828% increase in Pinot Noir sales, moving the variety from the 423rd bestselling wine to the fifth bestselling within days.
The Full Story
New Zealand retailers have been selling out of Sam Neill’s wine label as fans find ways to pay tribute to the late actor. Regional Wines, a boutique store in Wellington, sold out of stock the day he died, while Moore Wilson’s, a boutique supermarket and wholesaler in Wellington, sold five times the usual volume of Two Paddocks. Customers have shared plans to enjoy Sir Sam Neill’s movies with a glass of his pinot noir, according to Amanda Thompson, Moore Wilson’s general manager.
Neill was an avid winemaker, producing pinot noir, riesling and rosé under his label Two Paddocks, in Central Otago, New Zealand. The 78-year-old New Zealander died of pneumonia, just three months after Neill revealed he was finally cancer-free since being diagnosed with stage three angioimmunoblastic T-cell lymphoma in 2022. Neill’s representative, Philip Grenz, suggested to fans wanting to honour Neill’s memory they make donations to “one of the causes he cared about most deeply” instead of sending flowers to the family.
What This Means
The support Neill’s fans showed after his death had been described as bittersweet by Suze Keith, chair of Sustainable Tarras. An anti-mining group called Sustainable Tarras received a sudden bump of more than NZ$20,000 in donations after the news about Neill emerged. Fans are now vowing to keep up the fight against a controversial open-cast goldmine being developed in the Dunstan mountains. Two Paddocks’ general manager Jacqui Murphy noted that Neill would have been touched by the sentiment, as he talked about wine being about conviviality and connecting people.
Consumer Takeaway
This release offers drinkers access to Pinot Noir, Riesling, and Rosé from Alexandra, Central Otago. Fans are stocking up the cellar or putting up a blackboard special to celebrate his life. The brand had always been popular but there had been an upswing in demand over the past week following the news.
Source: Read the original article
