Damian Callinan & Paul Calleja: The Wine Bluffs (MICF)

Anyone who has graced the grounds of the Malthouse Theatre can attest to its unashamed haughtiness. There's a certain air of the place - equidistant between the Bell Shakespeare Company and that troupe of up and coming boundary pushers. Luckily, this sort of crowd can also have a bit of a laugh at themselves, which is where The Wine Bluffs expertly come in.

Centering on the duo of Damian Callinan and Paul Calleja, the pair act as captains on the sea of vino, sailing the pompousness that is Victorian wine pretentiousness. They know their lingo and so do their audience, and Callinan and Calleja play to their knowledgeable punters with total ease and outlandishness.

While The Wine Bluffs have done more than enough research on the subject, their biggest strength is also their biggest weakness. The show is more or less exclusively catered to those in the know, and anyone who doesn't know a good Penfolds vintage will be in trouble (both in comprehension and with the boys themselves). Their demographic of 40+ suburbanites are totally in on the joke, and fortunately they can see just how OTT their passion can stretch.

The Bluffs are also masters at bringing this out in their audience, calling for "Wine Wanker Of The Night" and asserting that a punter in beret has single-handedly brought down the "bogan factor" of the night by several marks.

While the title should be enough to deter those out of the loop, The Wine Bluffs remain slightly too exclusive even for those who know their grigio from their gris. However, seeing as that seems to be the entire point of the night, the less informed might just find some fun in scoffing at those who "get it".

Damian Callinan and Paul Calleja present The Wine Bluffs till Apr 22 at Malthouse Theatre, part of the Melbourne International Comedy Festival.