The Best Wine Refrigerator Buying Guide
Table of Contents
Top Best Wine Refrigerator Based on Reviews and Price
How to Choose a Wine Refrigerator?
When it comes to buying a new wine refrigerator, the reality lies with the owner to try and find one that meets all their satisfaction. Whether you decide to go for a bottom counter or top freezer refrigerator, there are factors to put in mind if you want to get cool wine off your refrigerator at all times. While it’s possible to store your wine in any refrigerator, the features of the kitchen refrigerator might not be suitable for your drink. This makes it important to get a good wine refrigerator for your home.
But with thousands of products in the market, how do you choose the best ones? There are a lot of factors to consider, which is why we’ve compiled this guide to help you in making the right choice. Breaking down the essential features, you will be able to get one that meets your taste, and style without breaking the bank.
And if this is your first time getting a wine refrigerator, don’t worry. You will learn the basics of wine storage, so you know exactly how to keep your drinks enjoyable at all times. With the right choice of the refrigerator, it’s possible to keep your drinks fresh all year round.
Why You Should Use a Wine Refrigerator?
Wine is a natural product made from fruits making it susceptible to getting spoilt if not properly preserved. When wine isn’t at its best, the flavor that makes up the aroma and exotic taste gets spoilt, making it unsuitable for drinking. To keep the flavor intact, it’s vital to get rid of these three enemies, namely: Temperature, ultraviolet light, and noise.
#1 UV Ray
Just as UV rays can damage the skin, exposing your drinks to excessive sunlight can cause the compounds to break down. As you might have already known, most compounds present in wine are organic and leaving such products under harsh weather conditions can alter its taste.
#2 Temperature
Almost every wine lover likes to enjoy their drink cold either out of the bottle or with an ice cube. This is because cold wines are more enjoyable and have this exotic flavor that lives you asking for more. No matter how cold you want your drink to become, there is a temperature level to be maintained if you want one that tastes good.
According to the experts, every wine should be kept at 55 degrees if you want to slow down its aging process. Keeping it at that temperature range, you will be able to preserve its color, flavor, and aroma.
#3 Vibration
To a non-wine enthusiast, vibration doesn’t matter much as long as the quality of the wine isn’t altered. However, one thing you should know is that wine sediments in each bottle can spread all over the bottle if they’re moved too often. The sediments are meant to stay at the bottom but letting it spread to the top makes the taste unpleasant when you sip. Hence wines should be kept in a position where movement is minimized.
Considering the factors mentioned above, a refrigerator seems like the only option if you want to keep your wine protected from all three enemies. Using a refrigerator protects your drink from sunlight, harsh weather as well as excessive vibration.
10 Factors to Consider When Buying a Wine Refrigerator
1. Noise
A good wine refrigerator should have minimal noise. What this means is that the sound coming from the compressor should be a whisper or a maximum of 30 decibels. You should know that the noise coming out of your refrigerator depends on the type of compressor it’s using.
If your wine refrigerator comes with a compressor, then your refrigerator cools the air by pumping chemical refrigerants via a coil. Refrigerators with large compressors can be very loud if the decibel level is high. If you must use a compressor system for your fridge, ensure you go for one whose sound is a maximum of 30 decibels.
Thermometric systems force heat through a metal plate with the help of electricity. Wine refrigerator with this type of heating system does not make any noise and have zero-tolerance for vibrations as well.
2. Shelves
The shelves of wine refrigerators come in different styles. It’s possible to find one with wooden, metal, or smooth shelves all designed to keep the bottles intact. Refrigerators designed with wine racks hold the bottles on both sides, thereby keeping the wine in contact with the cork. With rack shelves, the wine is left lying flat, thereby slowing down the aging process as contact with the cork will allow the cork to drain out bacteria.
3. Cooling Zone
Different from normal fridges, such as side by side refrigerator or beverage fridge, what makes a wine refrigerator great is the presence of different temperature zones, thereby making it suitable for different kinds of drinks. If you love both red and white wine, dual temperatures zones allow you to adjust the temperature of your refrigerator to be cooler in one zone than the other, making it fit to store several drinks.
However, if you’re looking at a low-budget option, single-zone refrigerators will be the best for you, but this comes with some limitations. The only difference is that the temperature of the interior will be the same, so every shelf keeps drinks cold equally. The Problem with this is that you won’t be able to store drinks which require varying temperatures.
However, if you will be storing just red and white wine, a single zone refrigerator should do the job perfectly.
4. Appearance
A refrigerator with a cool finish improves the aesthetic of your home. Choosing the right one shows you take the outlook of your interior seriously and concerned about making choices that will improve the appearance of your home. Wine refrigerators are much smaller than french door fridges, most of them are like small fridges or portable fridges.
Before going for any refrigerator, consider the style of your home. There’s no better choice for your interior than refrigerators made with stainless steel but if you must settle for less ensure the finish aligns with the color of other appliances.
5. Energy Efficiency
To ensure your wine retains its taste for long, you will have to maintain a certain temperature which is only possible when your refrigerator is turned on. To ensure your refrigerator doesn’t consume excess energy, you will want to go for models that consume less electricity.
Generally, wine refrigerators with thermoelectric cooling consume less energy. In terms of lightening, refrigerators with LED lightings are energy efficient in contrast to those that use hot bulbs, making it impossible for a refrigerator to stay cold for long.
If you prefer glass shelves over wooden ones, be sure to choose tempered glass with triple pane windows for added security. All three factors mentioned above determines the amount of energy wine refrigerators will consume.
6. Style
The best refrigerator style for a wine refrigerator is either a Free-standing or built-in refrigerator. Free-standing refrigerators are designed to stand alone and comes with a compressor stationed behind. Free-standing refrigerators have enough space but still lacking in depth.
However, if you decide to go for a built-in wine refrigerator, you will have to ensure they’re designed to fit in perfectly into your cabinet. Cabinet refrigerators have their compressors at the back and are pressed against the wall.
Deciding between both, you will have to consider their flexibility. Built-in refrigerators are more suitable for food items. It’s easy to pick one or two items when cooking since they’re built-into a dishwasher.
7. Living Space
Before purchasing a refrigerator cooler, you will want to consider your living space. If you’re thinking of getting a replacement for your wine refrigerator, it’s safe to assume the new one you will go for will seamlessly fit into the space occupied by the old one.
While that’s highly likely, you still need to ensure the space left for the new refrigerator won’t be exhausted. Since your refrigerator will be loaded with wine, it’s bound to be heavy. Ensure it’s properly installed.
8. Size
The size of the refrigerator you go for depends on the amount of space you have. After deciding on what style you want, you will want to ensure your refrigerator has room and more storage than the items you have at hand. It will be better for your refrigerator to have 25 – 30% more storage capacity so you have additional space left after storing all your items
9. Easy To Maintain
Your refrigerator should be durable and easy to maintain. Ensure your choice of the refrigerator isn’t prone to repair. Refrigerators that breaks down easily will make it even more frustrating to store your drinks. And if you’re hosting an occasion, there’s a probability that it will breakdown when you least expect.
10. Other Factors
If you want a wine refrigerator that will last long, it’s better to go for one whose built material is easy to clean. Also, ensure the refrigerator comes with proper lighting as it makes it easier to pick items at night.
Wrapping Iu Up
Whether storing 100 or 10 bottles, you will want a wine refrigerator that will minimize the aging period of your drink. There are a variety of models out there, but everyone has their preferences. This guide doesn’t just give you an idea of what to expect but ensures you make an informed purchasing decision.
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