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If you're a budding wine aficionado, you've probably (definitely) found yourself lusting after wine fridges. But are they worth the investment? And, if so, what is the best wine fridge, really?
It's certainly true that the main function of a wine fridge, storing your wine at a consistent, regulated temperature (generally somewhere between 45°F and 50°F for whites and between 55°F and 65°F for reds) is important. If you don’t, over time temperature variations cause the wine cork to expand and contract, which in turn sucks unwanted oxygen into the bottle and kills your wine
Fitted with horizontal bottle racks, standalone wine coolers can store your wines at a fixed temperature to prevent oxidation and change in flavor—and, of course, they'll ensure that wines are held at the optimal temperature for serving, too. Plus, given the wide range of varietals and styles of wines you might be storing, many wine fridges offer multiple temperature zones.
But, even so, is it really worth shelling out hundreds (or sometimes thousands!) of dollars for a dedicated wine fridge if you’re only keeping a few bottles around that you’ll drink over the course of a week? We tapped a few wine pros to answer these burning questions.
Is a wine fridge worth it?
Buying a wine fridge doesn’t necessarily mean you’re a collector or even a connoisseur. But it does allow you to broaden your wine horizons. As you look to explore new wines, a wine fridge is a great investment to store your wines and ensure you can enjoy them at their best,” says Jeany Cronk, founder and owner of French winery Maison Mirabeau. The ability to properly store wine should allow you to invest in pricier bottles for special occasions, knowing they won’t go bad. John Slover, currently corporate beverage director at New York City’s Major Food Group, agrees. “The decision about whether or not to buy a wine fridge should have nothing to do with one’s level of ‘seriousness’ about wine, but rather how many bottles you want to have in the house and how quickly you want to drink them,” he explains. If you’re buying five or six bottles and drinking through them within a month, then you might not need a fridge. In that case, Slover adds, “Storing wine in a dark closet on its side is fine." Buy what you're going to drink in the next few weeks and replenish on a monthly basis.
If, however, you’re storing a couple dozen bottles at home and won't drink them within the month, definitely consider a dedicated fridge. This doesn’t just go for people collecting three-figure bottles. Slover advises keeping even your mid-range wines at an ideal temperature if they won’t be opened anytime soon. "Even if they aren’t blue-chip auction-ready wines, your wines that cost anywhere between $20 and $50 should be stored properly,” he says. “Stuff that’s good shouldn’t sit around an apartment with rising or falling temperatures and variable humidity.” So if you don’t have space in your actual fridge, a basic, affordably-priced wine fridge can also be a great purchase.
What to look for in a wine fridge
If you've decided you're the type of wine drinker that needs a wine fridge, there are a few things to consider. First, of course, is price. Wine coolers can run as low as $100 and as much as a used car depending on the make, size, and features.
“If I’m looking for a wine fridge for everyday wine such as Picpoul, Albariño or Soave, cold is the key. Sure, these are fine at proper temp, but they are super refreshing summer crushers when icy cold,” says sommelier Aaron Thompson of Osteria Stella in Knoxville, TN. If that’s your style, then you don’t need to spend a lot. You’re essentially purchasing a more elegant version of the drink fridge your friend’s parents had in the garage. It’s a dedicated wine fridge that holds bottles at a drink-ready temperature. “With that in mind,” Thompson says, “I’d keep the red wine out of cheap fridges and just set the temp to 45-50 degrees for rosè, white, and sparkling.”
If, on the other hand, you want to keep red wines at a cellar-appropriate temperature, then, you’ll want a dual temperature zones as opposed to a single-zone fridge. “People who are a little more than casual drinkers should look into dual-zone fridges, which allow you to set one part at 45 degrees and another at 55,” says Slover. “Keep your red at the higher temperature and your white at the colder temperature so they are ready to serve.”
Jordan Salcito, founder of Drink Ramona, Inc., thinks that the most important thing to look for in a wine fridge actually isn’t to do with temperature, but with humidity. She’s willing to store all of her wines at the same temperature in order to score a humidity controlled fridge. Then, when you are ready to drink the wine, you can bring it down or up to serving temperature. “If you want your Champagne or a bottle of white to be more chilled before you drink it, place it in an ice bucket 30 minutes before you're ready to open the bottle,” she says.
Along with humidity control or temperature settings, the other thing to keep in mind when looking at wine fridges is shelving. “One common mistake people make with wine fridges is trading functionality for bells and whistles. You can have a wine fridge that has three different temperature zones and a satellite dish but if you forget that your taste in wine lends itself to wider bottles, then the shelves will scrape the labels off all your bottles when you try to jam them in,” says Drew Brady director of operations and wine director of Overthrow Hospitality. Consider, “whether [the shelves] can be altered and moved to accommodate the different shapes and sizes of wine and sparkling bottles,” Cronk advises.
Slover agrees that the best wine coolers will have adjustable shelves for different bottle sizes. His favorite brand, Eurocave, makes shelves that can be moved around to accommodate Slover's collection of larger Burgundy bottles. “They have a mix of static shelves and rolling shelves, with the flexibility to add more rolling shelves. So you can make a shelf for wider Burgundy bottles and fat Champagne bottles to avoid scratching up labels and jamming shelves." The other side of that coin though, is that Eurocave is one of the most expensive brands on the market.
In addition to having a flexible layout, though, you'll also want to consider just how much storage space there actually is in the fridge. Slove thinks the best option for most people would be a 40- to 50-bottle wine fridge that fits under a kitchen counter. That’s big enough for a few cases, but small enough not to impose. More storage space, of course, will also increase the price: At 100–120 bottles, wine fridges tend to go over $1,000. That number can be a little eye-popping, but $1000 is probably a reasonable investment if you actually intend to acquire 100 plus bottles of wine. If you do go that route a freestanding option will make more sense than an under-the-counter one.
Finally: Unless you know you can keep it in a basement or garage, be sure to search for a unit that advertises quiet or silent operation as many tend to be quite loud.
Where to put your wine fridge
While, of course, you can put your wine fridge in any room you please, there are some environmental conditions to consider. “You should put the wine fridge in a cool, well ventilated area,” says Thompson. You should also make sure the cooling unit in the back has room to breathe. Cronk adds that, while having it in the kitchen makes serving easy, a sunny kitchen might not be the best. “I would say always out of direct sunlight if it has a glass door,” she says.
What temperature to store wines in a wine fridge
“The best temperature at which to set your wine fridge directly correlates with the temperature you plan to serve your wine,” Brady says. “For our restaurants (and for dinners at home with friends), I typically store everything between 51-54 degrees. At this temperature, we know the wine is healthy and it's a great temperature to pivot from in both directions.” Some people, like Thompson, prefer to keep different types of wine at different temperatures so you can serve them directly from the fridge rather than chilling them down more before serving. He keeps rosè, white, and sparkling at 45-50 degrees, and stores reds around 60 degrees.
How long will wine last in a wine fridge
“All wines have different shelf lives if kept at cellar temperature,” says Thompson. A well-maintained, working wine fridge should be able to keep bottles fresh for as long as they need to be kept. It really depends on the type of wine and your personal preference. “Beautiful rosé wine should be drunk within a year of release for optimal freshness. Light white wines such as Soave and New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc should be drunk within 2-3 years. White wines such as Chablis, Napa Chardonnay, Sancerre, or Gavi di Gavi, can be very long lived and will only get better with age,” Thompson says. “I like to drink light red wines like Pinot Nero, Schiava, or Etna Rosso within five years of release, depending on the vintage that year. Medium to full bodied reds range from 5 years to 50 years.” Cronk, whose winery Mirabeau produces Provencal rosés, says that rosé in particular “will certainly do better in a wine fridge due to its sensitivity to light and temperature.” She recommends storing any particularly beloved rosés in a wine fridge where they can “age with grace.”
Ready to choose a fridge to house your burgeoning wine collection? We’ve rounded up some of the best wine fridges for every budget.
The best wine cooler for a small budget: Ivation 18-Bottle Wine Cellar
On the lowest end of the price range, Amazon’s best-selling 18-bottle unit fits easily into tighter spaces (hello, New York City apartments), although it works best as a freestanding rather than built-in unit in order to ventilate properly. A smoked glass door is easy to match with any style of decor, and the digital touch controls allow you to set your ideal temperature.
An affordable dual-zone cellar: Wine Enthusiast 32-Bottle Wine Refrigerator
A solid option for beginners with a bit more to spend, this energy-efficient, dual-zone wine fridge offers a more sleek design and higher functionality than the Ivation. It’s divided into two 16-bottle zones, with the top (54–66°F) ideal for reds and some whites, and the bottom (46–66°F), providing optimum conditions for most whites. For storing larger bottles, the chrome shelves can be pulled out. While its manufacturers tout its “virtual silence,” the unit must be vented to an open area, and thus is not a good fit for under-counter installation.
The best built-in wine cooler: NewAir 19-Bottle Compressor Wine Cooler
For a sophisticated built-in wine cabinet option, this 12-inch-wide, 19-bottle unit can be installed directly into your cabinetry—a fan helps to minimize temperature fluctuations. Use the blue LED interface to adjust the temperature between 40 and 66 degrees. Note that the sliding wine racks are not removable, and thus may not be ideal for storing larger bottles.
A wine fridge with lots of storage: N’Finity Pro2 S Dual Zone Wine Cellar
This versatile, dual-zone cellar is ideal for budding wine enthusiasts with a bit more space (and cash) to spend on their collection. Holding up to 46 bottles, the 34-inch-tall, free-standing wine cooler fridge has a sleek look (complete with stainless steel trim), offers digital temperature control, well-spaced shelving, interior lights, and a charcoal filter that maintains humidity and circulation.
A top-of-the-line pick for serious collectors: EuroCave Pure S Wine Cellar
This marks the pinnacle of wine cellar manufacturing. “Eurocave makes the most durable, reliable wine caves with the best warranty and service,” says Slover. Salcito agrees saying, “If you’re becoming more interested in wine and want to have room for those allocated bottles you’ve been truffle hunting, go for a Eurocave.” At nearly $2,000, this free-standing 66-bottle cellar is made for serious collectors. A sensitive-touch control panel and remote LED lighting system offer sleek trimmings, while a built-in alarm alerts you to lowered humidity levels. It's also super energy-efficient, which makes for an attractive feature both from an environmental and cost-efficient perspective.
Best mini wine fridge: Wine Enthusiast 6-Bottle Wine Cooler
If you’re looking to store just 6-8 bottles, chances are you're not a serious collector. A mini wine fridge is perfect for storing the everyday wines you’re going to be drinking soon. Wine Enthusiast’s 6-bottle fridge has a digital touch screen and LED temperature display for easy control. It’s small enough to fit on a counter or in a small apartment kitchen. And the metal shelves can hold Bordeaux-sized bottles, making them great for traditionally bottled whites and roses. There aren’t a ton of extras but the apartment-friendly fridge will do the job and do it quietly.
Best wine and beer fridge: N'Finity Pro HDX by Wine Enthusiast
Perhaps wine isn’t the only beverage you want to keep fresh in a temperature-controlled environment. Maybe you scored some quality beers or even canned cocktails or canned wine you want to have chilled and at the ready. Here’s another situation that calls for a dual-zone fridge. “We find that most canned cocktails are best served ice cold, as if freshly shaken, so having a dual temperature setting is a must,” Cronk says. This pick isn’t cheap, but it’s a one-stop-shop for all your beverage cooling needs. You can fit up to 35 wine bottles and 90 cans of beer. The left side features seven pull-out shelves for wine and the right side includes four fixed shelves for cans. You can control the separate temperatures of each side without opening the doors thanks to the digital touch screen controls. And that right zone can get down to 36 degrees Farenheit—talk about ice-cold.
