Buying a Wine Cooler? 6 Tips You MUST Know Before Buying A Wine Fridge!

If you're thinking about buying a wine cooler, there are 6 factors you need to consider before you pull the trigger! There are so many different wine fridges out there, and they all have different features. It's not just a matter of buying a "good" one that's well-reviewed: you need to make sure it's right for YOU! This means making sure the fridge has the proper capacity, deciding whether to buy a built-in or free-standing fridge, making sure the door opens the right way, having the right shelves and zones, and making sure it gets cold enough for your needs! Watch this video for all my tips when buying a wine fridge!

VIDEOS MENTIONED:

CHAPTERS
00:00 Introduction
00:29 1. Capacity
01:29 2. Built-In
02:10 3. Reversible Door
02:42 4. Zones
03:34 5. Shelves
04:18 6. Cooling Method
05:13 Other Tips
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[tst]

Great video 🎉 I have two wine fridges, due to warm air rising I place my reds in the upper parts of the fridges and the white at the bottom. Keep enjoying your wines!

[theukyankee]

I didn't see this before we redid our kitchen and I'm glad that my research fit with your advice. We have one very similar to yours with the dual temps. We're using ours a bit for longer term but it's primarily for regular drinkers.

[anneellis]

Great advice! We hadn’t thought about some of the things you mentioned- good to know! 👍🏻🍷

[samanthag.]

Excellent tips of things to consider. 👍🏽

[johnclaeys]

The door handle position is important…pay attention to which side it opens on (hint, not the wall)…also a lot of these under counter built ins are noisy and blow hot air out the bottom and will really heat up your space.

[ludovicdebord]

Thank you for the video 🙏🏻
I've a double zone fridge. But my coolest part (in mine it's the bottom part) doesn't make it cold enough anymore. Idk why. So I set it as a single for reds only. I think it's a thermostatic system. Any ideas why doesn't work properly anymore? :/ thank you 😅

[jonathanwilliams]

If you want a wine fridge on a budget, find an old refrigerator (many times free) and buy a $30 Inkbird temperature controller and set it to 55. I have one in my garage I use for cellaring bottles I'm laying down for years. I found an Amazon wine rack that fits inside that holds 36 bottles. Plus I can put about 10 below it and a few in the door. If I build a shelf above it I'll be able to hold another 10 bottles.

[joeydecarlo]

Tell us about your long term storage! Is it off site somewhere? What kind of collection do you have? What are some of your special wines you're aging? That'd be super fun and interesting to hear about.

[dillonfuchs]

Which wine fridge is in the video? It seems great!

[MarkAuchtung]

I would also add that you consider one with moveable hinges or hinges that allow it to open towards that wall not from it like he shows. His door is backwards. That must be frustrating.

[bhrry]

The wood shelves are good or bad because of the temperature? Are affected in any way?

[travisthompson]

I love my “52 bottle” 😂 Vino temp but as everyone else has said drawer size is an issue for H & W. I’d love to know if there is a fridge out there that has solved this issue. I’ll be getting a second similar sized fridge in the spring when we redo our bar area and I’m hoping to find the perfect fridge by then. Orrr I’m just going to start storing all my burg and PN in a dark room.

[JA-tvnv]

If a free standing cooler has ventilation in the front, can it be put in a cabinet keeping the vent clear?

[JPVLDRodrigues]

Is there any solution to keep reds at the right temperature when outside is colder than that? I have that problem with my reds in the winter.

[michaelmuniz-ec]

Thermo-electrics don't have very long lifespans either so take that into account. A proper compressor based fridge will last years.

[jimdandy]

Just moved to Arizona last year and bought an 80 bottle wine fridge (single zone) i keep it at 55 degrees and about 95% of my wines are red. The only thing im nit happy about is are what i call the LABEL SHREDDING drawers....

[numanuma]

I have three fridges just to keep all my wines. I don’t have a system.

[ayhuiojg]

You didn’t recommend and brands or provide referrals to reviewer websites that you trust. Can you please provide some resources so we can get comparative recommendations on specific brands/products that meet these standards?

[joeydecarlo]

The "designed for Bordeaux bottles" thing is so annoying! I have a lot of burgundy shaped bottles with scraped labels because of this with my larger fridge 😑

[JPVLDRodrigues]

46 bottle capacity? So just barely enough for the weekend?!
Joking... I'm Portuguese so you know how we roll when it comes to wine...