Wine Coolers

It’s the question every wine enthusiast gets: “Red, white, or rosé?” However, any true connoisseur knows the real question is, “Where are you storing your reds, whites, and rosés?” That’s because every wine’s careful chemical composition is what makes its specific flavor profile so wonderful, and without careful temperature and storage regulation, you run the risk of destroying your wine.

Step Your Sommelier Game Up

Sure, your fridge can store your wine, but it can be a hassle, and while compact refrigerators, may keep drinks deliciously chilly, they are not specifically designed to store wine.
While wine coolers are fully equipped with wine shelves (and maybe a single rack for extra beverages or foods like cheese), the alternatives use a combination of wire racks and shelves to accommodate bottles plus cans and food items. That not only means less room for your wines, but it also compromises fridge temperature, which affects a wine’s flavor profile (we dive more into that below).
Oh, and your freezer? Don’t even think about it, unless a side of freezer burn or opening your freezer door to a slush of wine and glass are your thing.

Not All Wines are Created Equal

Reds are best enjoyed around 55°-65° F. Fortified wines prefer a window between 60°-65° F. The lighter aroma and acidity of white wines and rosés? They blossom between 50°-55° F. That’s why it’s important to know which wine cooler option is best for your tastes. Consider the following options and become a pro before you shop.

Single-Zone Wine Coolers

If you’re a fan of just one grape, then single-zone wine coolers are the way to go. Their use of one temperature setting throughout means you can stock up on a single wine without having to account for the cross-variety environmental settings.

Dual-Zone Wine Coolers

These small refrigerator appliances give you the flexibility to store more a mix of wine selections. Specialized temperature zones keep each dual-zone wine cooler compartment at precise settings—so you can enjoy reds and whites simultaneously.

Multiple-Zone Wine Coolers

Diehard mixologists—rejoice! These wine chillers offer the most temperature-zone versatility on the market, starting at 3 temperature settings. That means you can stock up on a favorite for everyone without sacrificing yours.

While you can find some under-the-counter multi-zone wine fridges, column wine coolers are your best bet. Note, however, while their vertical design may require less bending over, they do require more space than other small-space wine coolers.

Last Call!

Before you venture off to purchase a wine chiller for your home bar, remember these essential buying considerations:

• Ensure you have enough space for your new appliance; measure height, width, and depth at least twice before shopping. This not only looks more professional, but it also ensures you have enough room for ventilation.
• Freestanding wine coolers need about 2” of ventilation space on each side, including the back.
• Standalone wine refrigerators cannot be used as a substitute for a built-in wine cooler.

Need help with measurements? No problem! Just give us a call. We’ll be glad to guide you through the process.

Ready to shop for your new wine cooler? Great! If you’d still like to learn more about all the refrigerator options we carry, give our complete guide to refrigeration for everything you should know to confidently shop refrigerator appliances.