Best Wine Coolers
Summer is a great season to enjoy your favorite wines. Time to invest in a trendy wine cooler to keep those beverages chilled to the perfect temperature. Unlike refrigerators, which can sometimes create an environment that is too cool to store wine, a wine cooler provides the ideal conditions. In addition to temperature, they provide humidity control and stability.
These devices are inexpensive and low cost to maintain. They are also eco-friendly and save energy thanks to their thermoelectric method of cooling. And they do not emit dangerous chemicals when cooling.
Wine coolers are also very portable and easy to store.
Let’s find out about some of the most popular wine coolers available on the market today:
Ivation Built-In Wine Cooler IV-BWCC291DSS
The Ivation Built-In Wine Cooler holds up to 29 standard size wine bottles (750 mL). Its powerful cooling performance helps to slow oxidation, balance flavor, and lengthen the shelf life of your favorite wines. It has dual zone convenience, meaning you can chill two different types of wine at separate temperatures. It has a temperature range of 40 to 66 degrees Fahrenheit.
Sleek and stainless steel, it will fit into any décor. It has rounded edges and seamless door trim, which are perfect for that built in look. It does not have to be built in, though; you can use it freestanding if you wish. The removable interior shelving is made of stainless steel, and it has modern chrome accents.
This wine cooler’s two temperature zones can each be controlled with its digital LCD panel. The panel has separate touch buttons for temperature in Celsius or Fahrenheit. There is also a soft interior LED light that you can turn on or off as needed.
It has a modern tempered glass door for added elegance. This heavy weight double panel glass door also helps keep your bottles protected from harmful UV light. The door is reversible, meaning you can have installed to open from the left or right. The door also has a secure seal gasket. And there is a large handle on the door for added convenience.
This device has a thermally insulated chamber that comes with a heavy duty compressor. This helps chill your wine efficiently and quickly. Although this cooler is powerful, it is also energy efficient, safe, and consistent.
It’s also very quiet. Its integrated suppression technology keeps vibrations, humming, and buzzing sounds to a minimum. This technology will also reduce the settling of sediments in your bottles.
Pros
- Powerful, yet energy efficient, safe, and consistent
- Dual zone convenience with individual controls on LCD panel
- Holds up to 29 wine bottles
- Vibration-free thermoelectric cooling
- Door is reversible
- Very quiet
Cons
- None found
Aobosi Wine Cooler Refrigerator JC-85B
The dual zone Aobosi Wine Cooler Refrigerator is exquisitely designed, and comes in built in or freestanding versions. With its sleek, stainless steel frame and double tempered glass door, it is fashionable and timeless, and will match your décor perfectly. The stylish long stainless steel handle makes opening and closing the device very easy and convenient.
This model has a powerful compressor which keeps the cooler running quietly, with energy efficiency. It also offers low vibration, which helps maintain the taste of your wine. This wine cooler’s technology ensures your wines will always receive consistent temperature and constant humidity. The inside fan and cooling system ensure a precisely consistent temperature that varies by ±1 degree.
This wine cooler easily accommodates 28 standard sized wine bottles. The shelves, which are made of strong and sturdy beech wood, are removable so you can store larger bottles.
The temperature of the two different zones of the cooler can be customized using the control panel. The upper temperature zone is 41 to 54 degrees Fahrenheit, and the lower zone is 54 to 68 degrees Fahrenheit. The upper zone is great for sparkling wine, dry wine, semi-sweet wine, or semi-dry white wine. The lower zone is ideal for sweet wine, dry red wine, semi-dry red wine, and brandy.
This device has a temperature memory function, which means, if you lose power, once it is restored, the cooler will remember the temperature that was set, and will resume cooling at that temperature. If no changes are made to the digital control panel for three minutes, the machine will automatically lock and protect the previously chosen programming settings.
There is also a child safety lock which keeps the door closed and your wine protected from little ones.
One drawback is the shelves are sometimes too close together to accommodate certain ‘standard’ brands of wine.
Pros
- Exquisitely designed dual zone cooler
- Consistent temperature, constant humidity
- Accommodates 28 standard sized wine bottles
- Low vibration, which helps maintains the taste of your wine
- Temperature memory function
- Child lock
Cons
- Shelves are too close together for some users
NutriChef Wine Cooler Refrigerator PKCWC150
The NutriChef Wine Cooler Refrigerator is smaller than the others mentioned so far. It contains five contoured, polished chrome racks that hold 15 standard sized wine bottles. It also comes in other versions that hold 12 or 18 bottles.
This is a sleek, modern, stainless steel cooler that stands freely rather than being built in. It features compressor cooling technology and you can adjust the temperature between 41 and 64 degrees Fahrenheit.
The digital control panel has soft-touch technology which allows you to adjust the temperature (in either Fahrenheit or Celsius), as well as the light inside the cooler. The control panel is located on the door. This means you never have to open the door unless you are moving bottles into or out of the cooler, and that enhances its energy efficiency.
The glass door is reinforced and has an air tight seal that helps the cooler maintain the proper temperature for your beverages.
This cooler is also ultra-quiet.
This device contains safety features such as the child safety auto lock. It locks automatically if you have not pressed any buttons in 20 seconds. This way, it prevents children from changing the settings.
The only drawback mentioned is some users do not like having to use the control panel to turn the interior light on and off. Others say the lighting system is not user friendly.
Pros
- Soft-touch control panel allows adjustment of temperature and interior light
- Holds 15 wine bottles
- Has other versions that hold 12 or 18 bottles
- Glass door reinforced with air tight seal to keep drinks cooler inside
- Ultra-quiet
- Child safety auto-lock
Cons
- Some users feel lighting system is not user friendly
Cuisinart Wine Refrigerator CWC-800CE
The Cuisinart Wine Refrigerator is smallest of those profiled here, and holds eight standard sized wine bottles. It is compact and can fit into a tight space. It is high tech, easy to use, and convenient. Store your faves at their optimal temperature. It is a welcome and trendy addition to any home.
This wine cooler is beautifully designed with a stainless steel trim exterior and black housing. It has three contoured racks to hold your bottles. The racks are made of chrome, for added beauty and function. Its triple pane window allows you to view what’s inside. The cooler also has adjustable feet.
This device has a thermoelectric cooling system that is very efficient, which leads to less energy consumption and noise. It does all this without sacrificing performance.
It has touch screen controls that allow you to easily adjust the temperature and light inside the cooler. With just a touch of a button, you can set any temperature between 39 and 68 degrees Fahrenheit on this single zone cooler.
One drawback is this cooler cannot hold larger bottles.
Pros
- Compact, suitable for a small space (holds eight wine bottles)
- Beautifully designed
- Contoured chrome racks
- Thermoelectric cooling system for efficiency and performance
- Touch screen controls
Cons
- Cannot hold larger bottles
What to look for in a wine cooler
Price
There are lots of things to look for when choosing a wine cooler but perhaps the most important is making sure it fits your budget. Wine coolers can cost thousands of dollars, or they can be as little as a hundred dollars. The price depends on the manufacturer, features, and size.
Built in or freestanding?
Some people want to fit their wine cooler into a spot in their kitchen, such as under the counter, where it needs to be built into the cabinetry. Others prefer a freestanding unit they can store anywhere. Built in models are only a consideration if you are redoing your kitchen. Also, there are not many built in models available on the market.
Storage space
Consider how much space you have in your kitchen or cellar to accommodate a wine cooler. Also think about how much alcohol you would like to store in your cooler. The more bottles you want to store, the more expensive the cooler will be. Keep in mind though that some manufacturers have created coolers that are compact on the outside and roomy on the inside.
Design
Everyone wants appliances in their kitchen to look good. Most wine coolers are designed to fit in with any décor so you can’t really go wrong. They are often made of stainless steel or black finishes with chrome accents and racks, and sometimes glass doors. Some models might offer unusual finishes for the racks or other components.
Often, wine coolers come with a nice interior light that will further add to the ambiance.
Temperature zones
Some wine cooler enthusiasts like to have a device with two temperature zones, also known as dual zones. This means you can set a specific temperature for one half of the cooler and a different temperature for the other half. Generally, red wines are kept at higher temperatures and white wines at colder temperatures.
Dual zone coolers are generally more expensive than single zone. However, single zone coolers do still offer a good range of temperatures.
Temperature range
Make sure the temperature range offered by the wine cooler accommodates the range you need for the types of alcohol you want to store.
Shelving
Many wine coolers have adjustable, rolling, and/or removable shelves. This is handy because you can remove them if you want to store something in your cooler that is wider than a wine bottle. In larger, more expensive wine coolers, you can move around the shelves so different types of alcohol (i.e., different bottle sizes) can fit nicely into the device.
Noise
This is an important feature novice wine cooler purchasers might not think about. You do not want to choose a cooler that is loud. Search for one that advertises its quiet operation.
Other features
These might include auto temperature adjustment and/or humidity controls, which are important to keep your wine tasting great. Other features may be auto defrosting and a child lock.
By determining which features are important to you and researching the various brands available on the market today, and checking out reviews by previous users, you will be sure to find the wine cooler that works for you. Happy shopping!