When Merrick Watts isn’t entertaining on the stage, he likes to entertain at home.
And when it comes to choosing a bottle of wine, he has some good advice. 

“Select a wine that has a story or a talking point,” Watts says. “Regardless of what wine you put out, people will always vary on their opinions, so choose something that means something to you – a place you’ve visited, someone you’ve read about, or an interesting style. Your friends will be more interested in hearing about where the wine’s from than what it does on the palate.”

There are times, however, when Watts relies on wine pairings that are familiar to all of us. 

“I do love the basics. Steak and shiraz is hard to beat. Lamb and cabernet sauvignon too. For white, a chicken schnitzel and chardonnay are a gold-class pairing,” Watts says. “But to give it a twist, think of a wine that complements a dish – chardonnay with roast chicken for example. Now, grab something that’s kind of the same but different – fiano, albarino, even riesling – and see if that works for you.”

Watts also loves to occasionally break the accepted conventions of wine pairing. He believes in using logic, not following rules. 

“You can have red wine with seafood, just make sure it’s the right one. You can have white wine with red meat. If you like a particular wine, try it with food you like and if it doesn’t work out, don’t do it again,” says Watts. “Break the rules! You don’t have to drink white and then red. You can drink red and then white. In fact, it’s good to mix and match as you feel. Red, white, red, white again!”

When asked if he chooses a dish first and then pairs it with a wine, or the other way around, Watts says it can be both. 

“I often feel like having a certain wine – usually riesling, chardonnay, shiraz or cabernet – and then I’ll pick foods to go with those wines. But sometimes we’ll have something like pasta, and I’ll grab something I know works with that. The selection process is definitely a two-way street,” he says. 

Watts is passionate about wine appreciation. 

“Wine is never ending. It’s constantly changing and evolving so it can never get boring. But for me, I love the stories, the people and the passion of wine making,” says Watts. “I also love exploring wine regions. They have a sense of cornucopia about them.”

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