To the floor-filling tune of Kylie Minogue and on the grounds of the Queen Vic Market, the backdrop was set for a night of bacchanalian revelry. Our stewards for this voyage? The comedy duo Sweeney Preston and Ethan Cavanagh who whisked us away on a journey of wine, wit and whimsy.
“We can get a bit loosey-goosey around here,” Captain Sweeney warned me with a cheeky grin. And in fairness, the night was just that, a gaggling hour of no holds barred fun. Nestled adjacent to Queen Vic market, ReWine made for the perfect intimate space. The cosy venue undoubtedly contributed to the overall flow of the evening, where the audience was invited to engage (and mock) not only the hosts but one another.
Starting the night with bottles of energy, Sweeney and Ethan offered up vines-worth of jovial, banter-heavy jokes and introduced us to the “bullshit bell.” The little prop was given to an audience member, with the permission to ring anytime there was any instance of, you guessed it, bullshit. Safe to say, the room reverberated with a symphony of rings throughout the show.
After a quick round of questions to gauge our level of vino-based knowledge, our hosts boasted that they were no experts themselves. In their words, this was the one instance where going to see non-experts do something is successful, telling us, “You don’t go to a shit dentist for fun”. Although for many this may be true, witnessing non-experts give authority on strange topics is what our world is built on (hello politicians, hello influencers), and the thrill of a tooth drill will never not get me going.
For the same reason, we don’t go to school to drink; we don’t go to a comedy show to learn, so their lack of expertise only added more grapes to the humour. However, fret not, my knowledge-hungry winos; you will leave satiated. The venue's resident sommeliers, Jordy and Mel, were on hand to discuss the qualities of the wine imbibed.
Although some of the jokes had hints of corniness, they were done with enough charm that we still laughed along the way. Plus, the ingenious combination of wine and comedy meant that some flatter jokes became progressively funnier with each glass knocked back.
One highlight was Sweeney’s analysis of the difference between human behaviour after a bottle of red versus white: “Bottle of red: go to bed, bottle of white: text him” – something to which many of us can sadly relate. The songs played in the pauses in the show appealed to the millennial palate with their selection of late 90s and early 2000s pop bangers that left our heads spinning around – or was that the shiraz?
Perhaps more performative than informative, this show is perfect for those looking for a rollicking night of comedy and wine – with a few fun facts chucked in. While some of the jokes may have come out a bit corny, they sweetened the audience with an affability that left us walking on cloud wine.