The Best Wine Fridge Will Help You Keep Your Cool
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The best wine fridge can be tough to nail down with so many options on the market. But whether you’re a wine enthusiast hoping to age your carefully curated stash or just someone looking for a place to store the spoils of your wine subscription, choosing the best wine fridge for your home and your lifestyle is an important step. According to winemaker Andrew Wilson, the most important factor to take into consideration regarding a wine fridge is the temperature. “Both red and white wine will age well at temperatures held in the mid-50s,” he explains, noting that “keeping wines away from constant light exposure would be another consideration since prolonged exposure could lead to atypical aging.”
Wine collectors and serious wine drinkers know that if bottles are kept in a spot with too high a temperature (like a cupboard above the stove), the heat can destroy the flavor. Similarly, if left in too cold an area (like the garage during the winter), you could risk freezing the bottle, compromising the cork, and causing oxidization, which also damages the flavor. In short, there is a right way to store wine and a very wrong way to store wine.
Chris Benziger, a Northern California–based winemaker, says that when he looks for wine fridges, his Goldilocks factors are options that can accommodate champagne bottles, have removable shelving (important for storing magnum and other fun-sized libations), feature interior lights, and have a good seal. Keeping “things airtight is a must for storing wine,” Chris said.
We know choosing the right wine refrigerator for your nighttime treat can be a challenge (there are just so many options!), so we’re here to help. Read on for 15 of the best wine coolers to keep everything from your reds and whites to your rosés and champagnes perfectly chilled.
Insignia 14-Bottle Stainless Steel Wine Cooler
If you’re short on space, a wine cooler that can sit right on the kitchen counter can make all of the difference. And that’s exactly what this small wine cooler does—but it packs a lot of storage into a small footprint. Two different styles of adjustable shelves hold up to 14 bottles of wine, and there’s an even more compact cooler design that stores eight bottles. A reversible door and adjustable leveling feet mean it’ll mold to your space, and a quiet motor means it won’t compete with your party playlist.
Vinotemp 110-Bottle Dual Zone Touch Screen Wine Cooler
This thermoelectric, 110-bottle wine fridge has a nifty touchscreen control panel, making it easy to see what temperature your precious bottles are napping in. This is a great option for wine drinkers who store red and white wines, as the cooler has dual-zone control and keeps each varietal at different temperatures (white wine is often stored at a higher temperature than most red wines).
Sancerre Wine Cabinet with Integrated Cooling
Forget aesthetically-pleasing wooden shelves lining a stainless steel cavern, house your bottles in a wine cooler that looks more like a piece of living room furniture than anything. This 20-bottle wine cooler is made of beautiful reclaimed oak and features two adjustable shelves on the left side and stemware slots for six glasses and a lock and key on the right cabinet.
Whynter BWR-1002SD Stainless Steel Wine Refrigerator
The temperature range inside this wine cooler spans 40 degrees and 65 degrees Fahrenheit, thanks to a powerful compressor. The shelves are all removable—when filled to capacity, you can fit 100 bottles in here. But if you want to show off your best wines at the very top, the first shelf can sit at a bit of an angle. You know, for display purposes.
Classic XL 300-Bottle Wine Cellar with VinoView Shelving
If you have a collection that well-meaning (but incorrect) friends may label as excessive, this is the chiller for you. Keeping a jaw-dropping 300 bottles at a consistent temperature is no easy feat, but this state-of-the-art beverage cooler doesn’t mess around. Because it’s a single-zone fridge, it’s best to only do one type of wine (red wines should be kept between 50 and 68 degrees Fahrenheit, whereas whites and other chilled wines are best at 42 to 50 degrees). The brand recommends red wines in this case.
EdgeStar 7-Bottle Compact Wine Cooler
We all have that tiny sliver of space that could be working much harder for us. Well… if you’re a wine drinker, why not turn it into a storage space for a couple of your favorite bottles? This slim design is only six inches wide and 35 inches tall—perfect for scooting next to a kitchen counter or underneath an island. Don’t mix and match red and white wines in here, though; the cooler can only maintain a single temperature.
KitchenAid Undercounter Wine Cellar
Talk about a grown-up wine fridge! This elegant, stainless steel option from KitchenAid offers two temperature-control zones, an impressive 46 bottle capacity, motion-activated LED lighting, and a glass door so you can keep an eye on your entire wine collection. We particularly like the pull-out drawers that make it easier to survey your options. Even though it’s meant to fit under your countertop (the hinges are hidden for a built-in look), it’s sleek enough that it could also stand alone.
Smeg Wine Cooler Classic
If you’re looking for something with that special wow factor, this is it. With the capacity to store 38 bottles (even oddly shaped ones like magnums and Champagne bottles), this fridge comes with the capability to connect to Wi-Fi, so you can control and monitor your wine cooler remotely through an app. There’s also the option to add a sommelier drawer, which includes many tools of the trade, ranging from a wine thermometer to a wine funnel.
Hisense Built-In Stainless Steel Wine Cooler
Ideal for those who are seeking to build their wine fridge into their cabinetry, this option from Hisense is, frankly, sexy. It offers enough space for 54 bottles, a classy wood interior, and racks that roll out quietly. It comes with anti-UV glass (necessary to protect wine from premature aging) and an LED screen to adjust temperature settings.
Koolatron 20 Bottle Single Zone Freestanding Wine Refrigerator
This affordable wine fridge option from Koolatron is great for wine lovers living in small spaces. The petite but mighty cooling system is surprisingly customizable. Not only can the wire racks be moved around to accommodate irregularly sized bottles (maximum capacity is 20), but the digital temperature control buttons on the external touchscreen let you choose the ideal storage environment for red or white wines. Better yet, the mirrored glass door keeps your collection safe from harmful UV rays.
Vinotemp Designer Series 15-inch Wine Cooler
If you’re looking for a stylish and easy-to-use compressor for storing wine, this Vinotemp option is the best bet. The single-zone wine cooler has six sliding style wine racks that hold a total of 36 bottles of wine, all of which are illuminated by blue LED lighting. The temperature settings can range from 39 to 64 degrees Fahrenheit, making it good for everything from your Bordeaux to your Rieslings.
Kalamera 30 Inch 66 Bottle Dual Zone Wine Cooler
This sexy dual zone wine fridge from Kalamera makes us want to consult our favorite sommelier about their thoughts on the most display-worthy bottles. The cooler has beautiful beech wood shelves to showcase all your vintages. The touch control display helps chill your wines to varietal appropriate serving temperatures (also good for long-term storage). And the brand also touts the fact that the wine storage unit has low vibration, which helps keep the sediments from being disturbed.
EuroCave Royal Wine Cellar
Is this freestanding wine cooler from EuroCave a splurge? Yes. But EuroCave is known for making some of the best wine coolers, so consider it an investment for your investments, and rest easy knowing the brand offers a 10-year warranty. If anything goes wrong you won’t be left high and dry. Plus, the cooler is also absolutely stunning. It features autonomous humidity and temperature regulation systems, shelves designed to hold any bottle size, atmospheric lighting, and a locking door. There are also alarms to let you know if something is off with the temperature or humidity, if the charcoal filter needs to be replaced, or if the door was left open.
EdgeStar 7 Bottle Built-In Single Zone Wine Cooler
If you just want a little something-something to make sure you have a couple of appropriately chilled bottles on hand, this single temperature option from EdgeStar will do just fine. At just six inches wide, it can easily fit alongside (or maybe even between) your ground-level cabinetry.
Newair Dual Zone Beverage Fridge
Whether you and your partner can’t decide on if you want a wine or a beer fridge, or you just want to have the best of both worlds, this Newair fridge makes compromise easy. The dual temperature zones are separated by individually operating stainless steel doors (which also makes it more energy-efficient). The fridge has a fairly large capacity (18 bottles and 58 cans), and it also has blue LED interior lighting.
