Two Paddocks and Their Microdoodles

8/24/2011

A long time ago I came across this little winemaker called Two Paddocks. Since I didn't drink at the time I moved on. I never forgot about them, though. How could I? One of my favorite actors, Sam Neill, is the proprietor, so I knew I would surely order a glass if I ever saw it on a menu. I actually came back to Two Paddocks through a tweet from @StephenFry, and I cannot thank him enough. It's been quite a bit of fun.

If you've never heard of Two Paddocks, you must live in a country where their wine is not available, like here in the U.S. It's the product of 18 years' work of a number of wonderful people. Even if you don't love Pinot Noir, their site will make you want to. It's very entertaining, with interesting articles, many positive reviews, cute videos (microdoodles!), and a blog dating back to 2000. You get to know a bit about everyone through their music choices, the chickens are named after celebrities (Joan Rivers, the aforementioned Stephen Fry), and there's a male pig who goes by "Angelica." Large doses of personality and heart shine through the writing.

Speaking of microdoodles, last week I tweeted about the latest one, and Mr. Neill had a great response. Never expected to get one. It was so strange and yet felt completely normal at the same time, if that makes any sense. So, without further delay, here it is.


If you listen really, really closely you can almost hear his poor heart skip a beat. I hope there aren't too many scares like that on a regular basis or someone's going to have to give those chooks a stern talking to.

Before I go, I must mention that Mr. Neill is in a new fall series, J.J. Abrams' Alcatraz, if you didn't aleady know. Well, at least a pilot so far. The adorable Jorge Garcia, another cast member, contributed his top ten songs for August 23. I sure hope the show does well. Sadly, last year's - and now I can't even remember the name - Happy Town (thanks IMDb) was axed really early. It was interesting and creepy, and also starred Amy Acker from Angel. Would have been nice if it had been given a shot. I wish him luck for the new series, and health and happiness always.

Join Two Paddocks in conversation at Twitter and Facebook.

Buy Two Paddocks at OtagoWinery.oom. Just select by winery and choose from 2008 or 2009 Pinot Noir, "Picnic" Pinot, "Picnic" Riesling, or "Picnic" Sauvignon Blanc, priced $19.45 to $41.95 NZ, not including taxes and shipping, et cetera. Of course, if you're going to be in the area, you might just want to go directly to the source, but call ahead since they're not always open.