“This has to be one of the best views from a restaurant anywhere in the world,” global star says of the view from Bureau By The Lough in Whiteabbey.

Whiteabbey bar-restaurant Bureau By The Lough, which has just won no less than 3 coveted categories (Best Regional Pub, Best Food Pub and Most Innovative Pub) in the regional Pubs of Ulster Awards, is set for record wine sales with the addition of a new ‘star’ product to its shelves – and a visit by major Hollywood ‘star’ Sam Neill to launch it!

‘Two Paddocks’ is the acclaimed wine range produced by the Omagh-born star of box office hits such as Jurassic Park and The Piano as well as expected 2013 blockbuster Mariah Mundi & The Midas Box, at his artisan winery in New Zealand’s Central Otago region.

Bureau By The Lough is the first bar-restaurant in Ireland to list the wine and its sister business, The Light House Wine Store, one of the first off-licences to retail it. And in a major coup for the Whiteabbey businesses, Sam Neill flew in (18th October) to launch the wines personally at a special tasting lunch atBureau By The Lough.  Among the wines sampled was his Two Paddocks Pinot Noir 2010, also an award-winner this week, when it picked up outstanding gold medal at the International Wine and Spirit Competition!

Addressing the ‘full house’ of wine enthusiasts and film buffs alike, Sam Neill said that he was delighted to launch his own wines on ‘home turf’ and, in a statement guaranteed to put Bureau By The Lough and Whiteabbey on the world map, said that “The view from Bureau By The Lough’s restaurant window has to be among the best in the world!”

Owner Damien Curran said: “It’s a proud milestone for Sam Neill to come back to launch his wines into his ‘home’ market and we are equally proud to be selected as the very first stop in his whirlwind Ireland tour. Essentially he has poured the very first drop of his own wine on ‘home’ soil here with us atBureau By The Lough in Whiteabbey, and to hear him say how much he has enjoyed his visit and that he rates our view as among the best in the world is quite an endorsement!”

“As a business, listing Two Paddocks is about tapping directly in to what our customers want. As an independent off-licence, it’s difficult to compete with the multiples’ promotional tactics. So, alongside trying to break down the myth that supermarkets are always cheaper, our strategy is to capitalise on our independence to source diverse, interesting, quality-led wines at great prices.  Sam Neill’s award-winning wines fit that profile exactly.  Customers have been hugely excited about their arrival and we expect them to drive sales in both our restaurant and off-licence.”