Whether you’re a wine connoisseur, or you just like a tipple on the weekend, we all want to know the most effective ways to store our wine. Potentially the most important factor to consider before investing in some storage, is that you’ll want to keep your wine chilled and ready to drink at all times. If this is the case, then what do we need to consider before we buy a wine cooler or refrigerator? There are so many different models and prices readily available on the market that it can be difficult to know what’s right for us, but fear not! Simply consider the following few essential things prior to buying, and you’ll soon have the perfect wine cooler for you.
Why Buy a Wine Cooler When I have a Fridge?
This is undoubtedly one of the most frequently asked questions when it comes to investing in a wine cooler. If you have a fridge, why should you invest in another separate fridge for your wine? However, there are reasons why it’s better, and more convenient, to store your wine in a cooler or wine specific refrigerator. A wine cooler or refrigerator is set to a specific and maintains a constant temperature at all times to ensure your wine is chilled and ready to drink or serve whenever you need it. They’re meant for the short-term storage of wines for no more than one year.
Wine refrigerators however are completely different to wine cellars. The biggest difference is whereas wine refrigerators are for shorter term use, wine cellars are for aging wines, however it’s worth having both if you’re a wine enthusiast – because what good is that beautiful, mature wine if it’s not chilled for an hour before drinking?
Consider the Size
Before going out and investing in a wine cooler or refrigerator, you’ll want to make sure that you know where you’ll store it, and what size will be adequate for your storage needs. They’re available in a vast range of sizes, with the smaller variety holding between six and twenty bottles of wine, and the larger holding up to two hundred.
The general rule is that you should buy a wine cooler that can hold at least twice as many bottles as you currently have. If you don’t hold onto that much wine but just want somewhere to keep it cool at all times, you’ll probably want a smaller one. If you’re struggling on what specific one to get, there are several countertop wine cooler reviews readily available online.
However, if you are one to go out and collect good quality wines, you’re probably better off investing in a larger wine storage cabinet, so that you don’t end up having to buy several smaller ones.
Compare Prices
Of course, another important aspect to consider is what sort of wine cooler you can actually afford. The general consensus is that you more than often pay for quality, and the cheaper the wine cooler, chances are the less reliable it may be. However, it is important to do your research and compare reviews vs the prices of different wine coolers and refrigerators. If you find yourself on a tight budget, it can be worth shopping around for discounted wine coolers or refrigerators that possibly have slight dents or scratches on their exterior (but don’t go for any internal faults!). If you look at reliable second-hand websites, you could be lucky enough to find a good quality barely used wine cooler for the fraction of the price of a new one.
Look at their Features
Last but certainly not least, it’s important to look at what features are available with each product and compare them in terms of their main benefits. A lot of them contain a thermoelectric cooling technology which is advantageous in the respect that it makes minimal amounts of noise and won’t vibrate. However, a compressor-run wine refrigerator, despite being louder, is generally more efficient at producing cooler air. Remember to weigh up the pros and cons of what’s important to you.
Another feature to look into is the number of temperature zones that are available in the cooler itself. Whereas single-zone wine coolers only have one compartment at a set temperature for a specific wine, dual-zone wine refrigerators have two individual compartments with independent temperature controls for storing both red and white wines.
It’s important to consider what wine it is you’re wanting to drink or store before making a decision on this. Again, it’s all about what’s right for you – that’s the number one thing to consider.
