Foreskins and wine skins. Is wine & comedy the pairing we never knew we needed? 

Merrick Watts is back with his highly acclaimed show, An Idiot’s Guide to Wine, and this time it’s Volume Two. 

A comedian, broadcaster and TV personality, Watts brings his loveable larrikin charm to this show that guides you through six wine tastings, with a healthy side of classic Aussie humour. Don’t expect too much wine wankery here. In Watts’ own words, “Anyone who came along for a masterclass, you can fucking suck balls!” 

So if that doesn’t give you an idea of what you signed up for, I don’t know what will.

But despite the disclaimer, there’s still plenty of learning to be done here. Watts manages to blend together his qualifications as a self-proclaimed idiot with his wine education, and the result is an entertaining 70 minutes. 

The six wines come from around Australia (I won’t give them away) and it’s a nice selection of interesting drops from great winemakers. Watts offers food pairings for each wine – something I love doing – but considering how interesting the wines are, I would have liked to see some less generic food options. The “tradies tapas” of a Bunnings sausage sizzle is about as adventurous as it gets. 

Watts is great at adapting to his local audience, and he included a smattering of digs at Adelaide, which were warmly received. A lot of the jokes were pretty female-centric, so a bit more variety there would be welcomed. 

You don’t need to know anything about wine, or Watts for that matter, to see An Idiot’s Guide to Wine. Despite some inaccurate wine facts and unnecessary jokes about custard and grandma’s pubes, you’ll likely come away tipsy, with a bit of wine knowledge and a smile on your face.