MERRICK Watts has spent more than three decades making Australians laugh, but these days he is just as comfortable discussing the character of a shiraz as he is dissecting the mechanics of a punchline.
And when the comedian, broadcaster and trained sommelier rolls into Tamborine Mountain for Grapes of Mirth next month, those two worlds will collide in exactly the way he likes them – good wine, great comedians and absolutely no need to rush back to your theatre seat before the bell rings.
“I think it is kind of its own beast entirely,” Watts said.
“It just represents a great day. It’s a really fun day out.
“You’ve got comedy, which makes you feel good. You’re outdoors, you’ve got fresh air. It’s a different experience.
“I think that’s kind of the alchemy of it.”
It is an unlikely evolution for a bloke who said his comedy career began largely because there were not many other options available, before becoming part of one of Australian comedy’s most recognisable partnerships, with Tim Ross as Merrick and Rosso.
“I’ve never found anybody to work with like working with Rosso,” Watts said.
But somewhere along a career spanning stand-up, radio, television and acting, another passion became increasingly serious – wine.
Watts is now a trained sommelier and wine judge, recently returning to the judging table at the Barossa Valley Wine Show.
“I’m too bogan to be a wine snob,” he laughed.
“I kind of enjoy wines for different reasons and for different purposes from different parts of the world.
“I’m not just about the price of the bottle or the label.”
Rather than simply assembling a bill of performers and sending out the work details, Watts said many of those appearing at Grapes of Mirth are close friends, including Peter Helliar who has been a mate since they were teenagers.
“I love it when people come up and say, ‘You know what? I thought I didn’t like riesling or I didn’t like chardonnay, and you’re actually right, I really do like this’,” he said.
Or, perhaps more importantly, when they finally accept Watts’ gospel according to rosé.
“Rosé, it’s for tough guys.”
With a comedian who loves wine and a sommelier who loves comedy, there is really only one important question left – if Australian stand-up was a wine, what would it be?
“Shiraz,” Watts fires back.
“It’s the great Australian grape. It’s a character and it’s bold, it’s rich and it’s got so much depth.
“Where 20, 30 years ago, it was really just different flavours of the same ice-cream.
“But now it’s really deep and rich.”
Bold, unmistakably Australian and capable of getting better with age – come to think of it, that description might fit Merrick Watts pretty well too.
