Best Wine Coolers

It can be tough finding the perfect wine cooler for you - especially as there are different designs and features to look out for. Not to mention ones with various bottle capacities to reflect your wine storage needs.

Wine coolers are appliances designed to store your wine in the best possible conditions. Despite the name ‘wine cooler’, most wine coolers consider more than just different temperature ranges when storing your wine.

The best wine coolers will maintain the right temperature (or multiple temperatures) throughout the unit and protect your wine from sunlight, regulate the humidity levels, and even minimise vibrations.

Firstly, there are three main designs of wine coolers - freestanding, built-in models, and fully integrated. Freestanding units are pretty self-explanatory - they stand freely. This means that you can place them pretty much anywhere in your home or business as long as you consider space for ventilation (see the installation section).

Built-in and fully integrated wine coolers are designed to be stored in kitchen space. Built-in wine coolers are often stored in kitchen walls or cabinets, but can also be integrated under kitchen counters. Fully integrated wine coolers are designed to be completely enclosed into your kitchen space, including the door.

We’ve handpicked some of the best wine coolers on the market that you’re sure to love - scroll down to see what we’ve selected as some of the best wine coolers!

Common Features of The Best Wine Coolers

Some wine coolers feature single or multiple temperature zones (multi-zone). Dual-zone wine coolers are great if you have a varied collection, as you can store your reds and whites at separate temperatures. White wine is best served at a slightly lower temperature than red wine, and a dual-zone wine cooler can provide the perfect serving temperature for both red and white wines.

Opting for a dual-zone wine cooler also means that you can prepare some wine bottles for serving at one temperature while also having wine being stored in the long term at another temperature. This negates the need for purchasing more than one wine cooler, saving you energy and money.

You can also find wine coolers that feature either a solid door or a glass door. Solid doors are great at blocking out all sunlight ensuring that no UV rays affect your wine. Glass doors are great if you want to display your wine - and don’t worry about UV light as the glass doors are UV treated for ultimate protection.

Some of the best wine coolers feature anti-vibration systems. Anti-vibration systems help to protect the kinetic energy from the vibrations - as this can ruin the quality of your wine.

If you want to display your wine collection as well as wine accessories such as decanters or your favourite glasses, then you may want to choose a wine cooler that features display shelves.

Best Wine Coolers Installation

The way that wine coolers should be installed depends on the design and the manufacturer's requirements.

Before installing a wine cooler, ensure that you have enough space for the unit as well as space around the unit for ventilation.

Be sure to check all of the instructions and ventilation requirements provided by the manufacturer - doing so will ensure that the wine cooler doesn’t overheat and that the warranty isn’t voided.

If your wine cooler overheats, then the compressor will be overworking and will use more electricity - and there’s a chance that it will break down.

When installing your wine cooler, it’s also important that you install it level. One of the best ways to ensure this is by using a spirit level. If you install your wine cooler with uneven placement then there’s a chance that the vibrations will be excessive and will produce more noise than usual.

Key Benefits of The Best Wine Coolers

Wine coolers are a great choice if you want your wine collection to be stored in the best possible way. First of all, wine coolers can protect your wine from sunlight. UV light can cause chemical reactions within the wine, causing the ageing process to speed up resulting in an unpleasant bitter taste.

Another key benefit of purchasing a wine cooler is that the humidity is regulated within the unit, which prevents the cork from drying out and slipping out of place. If the cork slips out of place, the wine becomes exposed to oxygen which is a quick ruiner of wine.

You can also use wine coolers to store more than just wine. You can store your fizzy drinks and other mixers in there, as well as some food products.

Wine coolers can provide the perfect humidity to store certain cheeses and cigars, which is sure to come in useful. After all, cheese and wine pair perfectly.

Best Wine Coolers FAQ

If you have any questions about wine coolers, then you might find the answer in this section!

How Many Bottles Can A Wine Cooler Store?

The amount of bottles that a wine cooler can accommodate depends on how large the wine cooler is, the type of wine cooler, and the number of shelves.

Wine coolers are designed to accommodate standard Bordeaux bottles, but some wine coolers will feature adjustable or removable shelves that allow you to store larger bottles - for example, Champagne or Prosecco bottles.

Some wine coolers will also have a section at the bottom or display shelves that can accommodate larger bottles.

You can find wine coolers that store under 10 bottles, as well as wine coolers that can store over 100 bottles.

What Temperature Should Wine Be Kept At?

Serving temperatures and long-term storage temperatures can differ. Red wine is best served at between 10 to 18 degrees Celsius, with full-bodied reds being served at warmer temperatures and lighter reds at lower.

White wine is best served at between 7 and 11 degrees Celsius. However, in the long term, you can store both at between 11 and 14 degrees Celsius.