Wine coolers can be a great way to store and display your wine, and you’re sure to find a wine cooler that fits into your home or business. However, there are different types of wine coolers that are best suited to different areas of your home, and it can be difficult to know exactly where to put your wine cooler. Keep reading to learn more about wine coolers, the different types of wine coolers, and the best places to put your wine cooler.
Wine has an optimal taste, which can be achieved by storing the wine at the best temperature. For most wines, the best storage temperature tends to be between 11 and 14˚c, but this can vary depending on the type of wine. Serving wine at the right temperature can ensure that the wine has the right flavours, textures, and aromas upon serving - it’s something any wine lover is sure to notice.
A wine cooler is a unit that keeps your wine cool effectively, and can also provide a space to proudly display your wine collection. If you are a regular wine drinker or you often have guests over, a wine cooler is a must-have. There are generally two temperature zones used in wine coolers - storing temperature and serving temperature.
You’ll find that wine coolers come in different shapes and sizes, and most can accommodate standard 75cl bottles of wine, but many wine coolers allow you to rearrange the shelves to fit larger bottles, such as Champagne or Prosecco.
Wine coolers can come in all shapes and sizes, but there are three main types of wine coolers - freestanding, fully integrated, and built-in.
Freestanding wine coolers are designed to stand alone instead of being built into your furniture or fitted in your kitchen, dining room, or cellar. It’s important to be careful when placing your freestanding wine cooler, as they can overheat if not placed correctly.
The heat exits the unit from the rear, where the cooler air is also drawn into the unit - which is why you should always leave 2 or 3 inches around the sides and behind the unit, as well as leaving space above. This allows the air to flow freely and eliminates the risk of overheating or fire hazards.
Fully integrated wine coolers are ideal for fitting under your kitchen counters or into cabinet space - integrated into your kitchen or dining room interior. Similar to freestanding wine coolers, the warm air exits from the rear, which is why they’re integrated with sufficient space around to allow airflow, preventing overheating.
This design of wine cooler is sure to look professional and sleek in your home or business and will do a great job of storing and displaying your wine collection. They’re similar to built-in wine coolers, are typically installed into the walls or fitted around the chest height.
Built-in wine coolers are usually stored under countertops as most built-in wine coolers are designed to fit snugly under most countertops.
Unlike other wine cooler designs, the vents are built around the front of the unit, and the fans are generally underneath. To prevent overheating, built-in wine coolers should be pleased with at least half a centimetre of space around the sides of the unit. If you have a larger wine collection, a built-in wine cooler may be your best choice as they can store over 200 bottles of wine.
Wine coolers can be placed anywhere in your home - as long as they have the correct spacing around the unit for optimal airflow, a wine cooler can look great anywhere. However, there are some popular locations that could be perfect for your wine cooler.
The kitchen is the most popular space for storing wine coolers. It’s one of the most convenient places - if you have guests over of you’re simply cooking for yourself, you can just grab a bottle from your wine cooler. If you have storage space or extra counter space, a built-in or fully integrated wine cooler will fit in perfectly with your other kitchen appliances. However, you can always place it on or under your kitchen island if you’re lacking space.
Many people have two wine coolers - they have a larger, freestanding wine fridge elsewhere in their home, and a smaller wine cooler in their kitchen storing wine at serving temperature, meaning the bottles are ready to be drunk at any time.
The dining room is a great place to store your wine cooler if you have guests over often or host dinner parties. Instead of rushing to the kitchen when you’re all sat around the table and you finish a bottle, you can simply reach for the nearby wine cooler and grab a new bottle. Wine fridges can be the drawing point of any dining room and can add a classy, professional feel to the room. The dining room can be a great place to proudly display your favourite wines.
Although not everybody has a utility space, if you do, then this can be a great place to place your wine cooler. Many people keep their other appliances in the utility room - washing machine, fridge, freezers - so why not store a wine fridge there? It can be convenient and can allow you to keep space in your kitchen and dining room, as wine coolers can take up a fair bit of space.
You may think that the cellar is the obvious choice for storing wine, but without a wine cooler, they don’t provide the recommended serving or storing temperature. Placing your wine cooler in the cellar means your cooler can be as big as you like. Kitchen and dining room space can be limited, but most cellars are large enough to accommodate a big wine cooler, so you can store your entire wine collection in your cellar.