Sam Neill fans send beloved actor's wine sales soaring after his death

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Sam Neill's legacy is living on in an extraordinary way, with heartbroken fans snapping up his beloved wine label in record numbers and donating to the causes he championed following his death.

The Jurassic Park star died on July 13, aged 78, from pneumonia - just three months after revealing he was finally cancer-free following his battle with stage three angioimmunoblastic T-cell lymphoma, a rare form of blood cancer.

Rather than sending flowers, Neill's representative Philip Grenz urged admirers to honour the late actor by supporting the charities and causes he was passionate about.

Many have now chosen to toast the screen legend with a bottle of his acclaimed Two Paddocks wine, produced from his vineyard in New Zealand's Central Otago region.

The response has been nothing short of remarkable.

National retailer Liquorland revealed sales of Two Paddocks pinot noir skyrocketed by an astonishing 1,828 per cent, with the wine jumping from the chain's 423rd bestselling bottle to fifth place in the days after Neill's death.

Boutique wine stores also struggled to keep the label on their shelves.

Regional Wines in Wellington sold out of its entire Two Paddocks stock on the day Neill died, while Moore Wilson's reported selling five times its usual volume.

'Customers have shared plans to enjoy Sir Sam Neill's movies with a glass of his pinot noir,' Moore Wilson's general manager Amanda Thompson told The Guardian.

'Others are stocking up the cellar, and some of the cafes and restaurants were putting up a blackboard special to celebrate his life.'

Neill's passion for winemaking was well known among friends and colleagues.

The actor produced pinot noir, riesling and rosé under the Two Paddocks label and was renowned for generously donating bottles to charity auctions and sharing them with family and friends.

Two Paddocks general manager Jacqui Murphy said the actor would have been deeply moved by the public response.

'I'm sure he would regret the reason they needed to do this, but he talked about wine being about conviviality, connecting people,' she said.

'So I think he would think it was very apt, and he'd be even more excited that they were, of course, drinking his Two Paddocks.'

Dean McHenry, general manager of distributor Negociants New Zealand, said the surge reflected just how much Neill meant to his homeland.

'I just think it shows what he meant to us as a nation at the bottom of the world,' he said.

Fans have also rallied behind one of Neill's most passionate environmental campaigns.

More than $20,000 has poured into anti-mining group Sustainable Tarras after supporters learned of the actor's involvement in its fight against a controversial open-cast gold mine planned near his vineyard.

Neill had fiercely opposed the proposal, warning the mine would 'be the end' for the picturesque Central Otago region.

Donors left emotional messages alongside their contributions.

'In honour of the great Sam Neill and for everyone against this ugly idea,' one supporter wrote.

Another added: 'For Sam. We will carry on fighting in your name.'

Sustainable Tarras chair Suze Keith described Neill as a 'knight in shining armour' whose support helped elevate the group's campaign by allowing it to bring in expert advice.

The Dunstan Hospital Foundation, where Neill underwent cancer treatment, has also received dozens of donations from around the globe.

Chief executive Hayley Anderson said many came with heartfelt messages celebrating the beloved actor's life and recognising the hospital that cared for him.

Neill left behind a multimillion-dollar fortune and a portfolio of properties following his passing. 

The actor boasted a winery empire, as well as a net worth estimated to be between $25 million and $28 million.

His main residence was a sprawling New Zealand winery called Two Paddocks, located in the Central Otago region on the South Island of New Zealand.