Which wine refrigerator should you buy, and why, is the topic of this article.
There are many manufacturers/brands of wine refrigerators, and each has a variety of models available. How then do you decide which brand and model is best for your requirements?
In fact, there are six important questions that can help determine this; we’ll discuss them in the section below.
What to Buy – Considerations
The following are the most crucial factors to bear in mind when selecting the kind of wine fridge that is best for your requirements:
What is your budget?
Decide on the financial budget you have to work with before making any kind of purchase decision. By doing this, you’ll immediately start to focus on only the products that fall within that budget.
This will also prevent you from making decisions that you might later regret, such as buying a wine cooler that is way too expensive.
We strongly advise approaching this purchase as an investment if you’re selecting a wine fridge for your establishment, such as a restaurant or bar, or if you’re a wine collector or connoisseur. This unit will eventually house your wine bottle collection, ensuring that your wines stay fresh.
Where do you plan to position your ?
The type you select will ultimately depend on where your wine fridge will be placed. For instance, a countertop wine cooler would be the best choice if you wanted to place it on a kitchen worktop.
However, a built-in wine cooler is perfect if you want to place the wine fridge under your kitchen/bar worktop. They have front-facing vents, which allow air to flow freely.
A freestanding wine cooler is suitable for those who want to place the device in a more open setting.
A freestanding wine fridge (without a front-facing vent) cannot be used in a built-in/under-counter position, but a built-in wine fridge can be used in either situation.
Additionally, it’s crucial to think through the logistics of getting a unit down there if you’re thinking about keeping it in your wine cellar.
How much physical space do you have for the ?
Which model you choose will obviously depend heavily on how much physical space you have set aside for the wine fridge.
You must therefore be aware of both the precise measurements and the location where you want to place your wine cooler.
This relates to the previous query regarding the location of the appliance store.
How much do you plan to store in this ?
The capacity for wine bottles that you need—also known as the unit’s wine storage capacity—depends on how many bottles of wine you plan to store.
As a general rule, it’s always wise to estimate your needed bottle capacity too high so that you have extra room rather than running out of room for your wine collection.
A large wine cooler is recommended if you’re an avid wine collector or own a restaurant, bar, or hotel. Some of these units can hold up to 300 bottles of wine.
A small-capacity wine cooler is better suited for people who drink wine on a more casual basis.
Are you looking to store different varieties of within this ?
Red wine, white wine, and rose wine will all require different temperatures for optimal storage. For effective wine preservation, this requirement must be met.
Due to this, a lot of buyers opt for dual-zone wine coolers, which feature two distinct cooling zones.
You can program one zone to reach the temperature requirements for storing your red wine, while the other zone can store your white wine and rose wine. These zones’ temperatures can be independently adjusted.
For those who want to store different varieties of a single wine variety, the use of multiple zones may also be beneficial. For instance, as mentioned in our guides on the best temperatures to store red and white wines, there are numerous varieties of red and white wines available, including the following:
These include wines with heavy, medium, and light bodies.
Syrah, Bordeaux, and Cabernet Sauvignon are full-bodied red wines that should be stored at about 64 degrees, while Merlot, Chianti, and Pinot Noir are medium-bodied red wines that should be stored at 60 degrees, and Beaujolais and Port should be stored at 57 degrees.
Then there are the wines from various regions and nations. For instance, a French or California wine of equal quality may require a different storage temperature than an Australian wine.
In order to meet the growing demand for storing a wide variety of wines in a single physical unit, wine fridge manufacturers have now developed triple-zone wine coolers.
Are there any specific features or aesthetic requirements that you have?
We recognize that a wine fridge frequently serves as the focal point of your kitchen or bar, making it crucial that it not only works well but also looks the part.
As a result, you should think about the material of the outer chassis as well as the specific color you want. We actually prefer the stainless steel exterior because, when kept clean and polished, it can be very striking.
Although more of a practical consideration, you should also think about the type of glass you want, such as tinted glass that is UV resistant, and whether you want a reversible door so you can choose which way it swings (highly advised). We always suggest picking a wine cooler with tempered glass doors because they are thermally resistant and 4 times stronger than regular (annealed) glass, meaning that any changes in temperature won’t be a problem.
Conclusion
After deciding which type of wine refrigerator is best for you, we advise reading as many reviews as you can to find the right model.
For some ideas, read our recent article on the top wine refrigerator manufacturers currently available on the market.
If not, see our selection of buyer’s guides below:
- Countertop
- Undercounter
- Freestanding
- Dual Zone
- Small
- Large
Roseanne is an avid wine enthusiast, and has been our expert wine connoisseur since day 1. She’s extremely informed about all varieties of wine and different types of wine fridges.