Setting The Temperature On Your Wine Cooler

A wine cooler is a great way to store your wine. If you’re a wine lover, you've likely come across the term or heard about wine coolers. However, if you’re new to the wine world, you may be oblivious to the wonders of wine coolers.

Check out our blog post to learn all about wine coolers, why you need wine coolers, and more importantly, how you can set the temperature on your wine cooler.

Why Do We Need a Wine Cooler?

If you’re a wine connoisseur, enthusiast, or someone who just takes wine regularly, you will be familiar with the fact that wines need to be properly stored under the right conditions so that their features like flavour and smell can be maximised.

Here’s why wine coolers are your best option for storage:

• They are less expensive compared to wine cellars: This is because the coolers are made solely for chilling wines, and they usually offer fewer features and space compared to wine cellars.
  
  
• Low cost of maintenance: Trickling from the low price, the cost of maintenance is generally low because they only require electricity.
  
  
• Wine coolers often have low electricity ratings.
  
  
• Portable and flexible: Wine coolers can be smaller than fridges and can easily fit into any home and can be moved when required.
  
  
• Wine coolers offer optimal temperatures and humidity levels for wine: This is the most crucial reason why wine coolers cannot be substituted. The temperature of regular fridges is usually too harsh and often fluctuates due to people opening the doors to get other things out of the fridge.
  
  This is very harmful to wine bottles. If the humidity level exceeds 70%, moulds may begin to grow on bottle labels, and if the humidity is lower than 50%, the corks may also begin to dry out, reducing the quality and volume of the wine.

Single And Dual Zone Wine Coolers

Before discussing how to set the temperature of the wine coolers, it is essential to know first what type of wine cooler you have. This information would be beneficial for the temperature settings.

A single-zone wine cooler is a wine cooler with only one refrigeration zone; this temperature is constant all over the appliance. This wine cooler is usually preferred by people who would rather preserve their wines than chill the beverage before serving.

On the other hand, a dual-zone wine cooler offers two environments that can be adjusted to different temperature levels. This is great if you have a varied collection as red wines and white wines have different serving temperatures.

You can also use a dual-zone wine cooler if you want to store some bottles for serving and store some bottles in the long-term in the same unit.

Setting A New Temperature On Your Wine Cooler

Storing wines in a wine cooler is necessary to maintain an optimal temperature for reasons already mentioned. However, it is essential to know how to adjust this appliance’s temperature based on the needs of the wine ( which could be red, white, or sparkling).

To set your wine cooler;

• Find the temperature gauges on the cooler: This could either be a digital or analogue indicator. It displays the current temperature inside the cooler.
  
  
• Use the buttons on the cooler to set the temperature. Depending on the appliance, you could either have plus and minus buttons or a panel(or screen) showing figures to be inputted.
  
  
• After setting a new temperature, wait for the cooler to reach the new temperature.
  
  
• Be sure to check the company guidance - whether it be on the website or in the instruction manual. If unsure, check with the manufacturer to avoid voiding the warranty.

Setting Ideal Storage Temperature

Contrary to widespread speculations, you do not need to store all wines in the cooler at different temperatures. They would do well stored at the same cooler temperature.

This study proves that the temperature and humidity in which wine is stored have a huge influence on its quality.

Wines should be stored at the same temperature ranging from 12°C to 14°C. Storing wines at a lower temperature than the recommended could reduce their maturity date, while a higher temperature could cause premature ageing.

Setting Ideal Serving Temperature

It is important to note that a storage temperature is quite different from a serving temperature. While storage temperature may remain constant for all kinds of wine, the serving temperature must be tweaked depending on the kind of wine.

Some wines, like red wines, taste better when they are warm - their flavours and aroma are enhanced at this temperature level. However, white or sparkling wines taste better when served chilled. It is, therefore, a general rule that “the lighter the wine, the colder it needs to be served.

This is where our dual-zone wine coolers come into play. These wine coolers offer an option of two different sections with different temperature controls. This could be utilised in two ways. You could either:

• Use a section for red wines and another for white wines before serving.
  
  
• Use a section for storing wines and another for prepping wine for serving.

Serving Red Wines

As mentioned earlier, red wines are better served warm. When the wine is warm, the flavours are enhanced, and the aroma is heightened. The standard temperature for serving red wine should be between 16°C to 20°C.

Serving White Wines

Unlike red wines, white wines are better served chilled. They're light wines and are therefore preferred chilled. However, it must never be served with ice; this could dilute the wine and ruin its flavour and aroma. The recommended temperature for serving white wine ranges from 8°C to 12°C.

Serving Sparkling Wines

Sparkling wines are usually served very chilled. They're usually very rich in flavours and aroma; take champagne, for example. However, they should not be kept in the freezer because of their bubbles may cause the bottle to shatter.

They should also not be served in pre-chilled glasses; doing that may reduce the bubbles, aroma, and flavour. The ideal temperature for serving sparkling wine ranges from 8°C to 10°C.

Conclusion

Finding the right temperature for your wine collection can be difficult. That's why using a wine cooler is key as it offers the perfect conditions for your wine to be stored and aged at the right temperature.

On a wine cooler, you can alter the temperature slightly if you're not satisfied with the taste or aroma. At Enofaber we offer premium wine cabinets and wine coolers that preserve your wine collection ready for when you want a glass.