What to Drink Tonight

A cellar is a promise to your future self. Tonight is a different question: what is ready, what suits the food, and what will make an ordinary evening better without asking it to be an occasion. Everything below is open for business now. None of it needs a decanter, a debate or a five-year wait.

A white for the middle of the week

Domenica Chenin Blanc 2024 is the bottle to reach for when dinner is simple and you still want the wine to be interesting. Chenin has the acidity of Riesling and the texture of Chardonnay, and in a young, well-made example that means a white with real grip — something to drink with roast chicken, pork, or a plate of whatever is in season. Serve it cool rather than fridge-cold so the texture comes through.

For something with a little more salt and lift, Weathercraft's barrel-fermented Albariño 2024 does what Albariño does best with seafood, with the barrel adding weight rather than flavour. Prawns, whiting, anything off the grill with lemon.

Riesling, two ways

Young Australian Riesling is one of the great bargains in wine, and it is at its most thrilling in its first year or two. Swinney Riesling 2025 from Frankland River is the dry, bright version: lime, florals and a firm line of acidity that makes oysters and sashimi taste better. Rieslingfreak No.3 2025 is the off-dry Clare Valley take, and the answer to the question nobody asks often enough — what to drink with Thai, Vietnamese or anything carrying chilli heat. A touch of sweetness tames the spice; the acidity keeps it clean.

Rosé for a long lunch

Swinney Mourvèdre Rosé 2025 is made from the same Frankland River vineyards as their serious reds, and it shows: dry, savoury and with enough structure to sit through charcuterie, grilled fish and the cheese that follows. Pale, cool and best on a table outdoors.

Two reds that need nothing but a glass

Bekkers McLaren Vale Grenache 2021 has had four years to settle and is drinking beautifully: red cherry, spice and a fine, gentle tannin that makes it as good with lamb as it is on its own. It will keep for many years yet, but there is no reason to wait.

Frogmore Creek Pinot Noir 2024 is young Tasmanian Pinot at its most open — bright red fruit and spice, light on its feet. Give it fifteen minutes in the fridge before pouring; Pinot served a few degrees below room temperature is a different, better wine. Duck, mushrooms, salmon.

Bubbles without ceremony

Champagne is for occasions. Louis Bouillot Perle de Vigne, a Crémant de Bourgogne made by the same traditional method, is for Tuesday. It is a good habit to keep a bottle cold: it turns a takeaway into dinner and a Friday into a small celebration.

After dinner

A small glass of Chambers Old Vine Muscadelle from Rutherglen is one of the most generous things Australian wine does: toffee, malt and dried fruit, sweet but never cloying, and it keeps well for weeks once the bottle is open. Pour it with blue cheese, a slice of fruitcake, or instead of dessert altogether.

Getting tonight right

Most of what goes wrong with a good bottle on a weeknight is temperature. Whites come out of the fridge too cold and reds are poured too warm. A simple rule: take whites out fifteen minutes before you pour, put reds in for fifteen minutes. If a young red seems tight or closed, pour a glass and leave the bottle open while you cook — air does most of what a decanter would.

For the bottles worth holding back, see What to Put Away Right Now.