“I used to look forward to family dinners because of the chilling cold wine that takes you places with just one sip.”

However, the secret to its taste I got to know is how properly the wine is stored and aged.

A constant rule of thumb would be storing your bottles at cellar temperature or 55-degrees Fahrenheit.

So, whether you’ve accumulated a serious wine collection or you’re just beginning to keep more than a couple of bottles around the house, what’s more, important is that you prevent constant temperature fluctuations.
This can lead the air inside your bottles to swell and contract and enable excess air and bacteria to reach your wine.

The simplest way to prevent these fluctuations is by storing your bottles in a wine fridge.

Buying guide for

Best Mini Fridge Cabinet

Here are key considerations on your hunt for the best wine cooler and fridge.

Know your needs and budgets

Decide first on what exactly you need. For example, are you an avid entertainer or looking for a solution for personal, small-scale collecting? After that, decide on a price range.

Study your space

You will need to consider where you intend to locate the wine fridge. Of course, the more bottles a fridge holds, the larger it will be.

What To Look For When Buying Mini Fridge Cabinet

• • Bottle capacity –  ensure it’s sufficient to hold your collection and give room to grow.
  • Temperature control – ideal for chilling all your favorite wines at the best serving temperature.
  • Energy-efficient compressor – to maintain your wine temperature.
  • Dual or single temperature zones – to give temperature flexibility for your bottles.
  • Wine rack shelves – that enable bottles to be kept on their sides for optimal long-term storage.
  • Noise reduction

Are Wine Fridges Worth It?

A wine fridge is valuable and well worth it because it helps maintain the ideal temperature for your wine at all times. To some wine lovers, a wine cooler is an indispensable tool and offer plenty of benefit over the regular fridge.

Portable wine fridges are easy to manage as they require little to no maintenance cost, and you’ll be spending less on your electricity bill as they consume.

Owning a wine cooler also offers some environmental benefits as they are free from CFC and other known pollutants, so you’ll be doing mother earth a lot of good by owning one.

Can I Age My Wines In A Regular Wine Fridge?

You’re probably aware that the factors that guarantee your collection age well are:

• • Temperature (preferably at 55`F)
  • Humidity to keep corks in good condition
  • Protection against harmful UV rays
  • Bottle position
  • It should be vibration-free.

Most regular fridges have three issues. First, they come with glass doors to show off their contents which don’t fully prevent harmful UV rays.

The mechanical motor constantly vibrates, shaking the wine content, thus, preventing sedimentation. Lastly, the thermocouples can get too sensitive, causing the temperature to fluctuate constantly.

All these problems will prevent the optimal storing and aging of your wines using a regular fridge.

The Ideal Temperature For A Wine Fridge

For red wine, the ideal temperature range is between 11°C (50°F) to 18°C (65°F), and the other zone is between 7°C (45°F) to 11°C (50°F) for white wine.

However, controlling your wine cooler temperature for multiple wines becomes simpler and more convenient with a dual-zone wine fridge.

How Long Does A Wine Fridge Last?

While considering buying a new wine fridge, you may be curious how long it will last. A wine cooler’s average lifespan is 10 to 15 years.

Though every model will assure you a high-performance appliance that will last you for many years, immediately after the wine fridge is installed in your home, it is conditional upon your unique habits.

How To Install A Wine Cooler In An Existing Cabinet

You can only install built-in wine coolers inside a cabinet. Freestanding wine coolers are not designed to be installed inside a cabinet or a tight location because placing them in a tight corner can block ventilation.

Knowing how to install a wine cooler may not be as fun as choosing it. But by following these easy steps, you can DIY it.

Measurements

Measurements are key when it concerns installing a kitchen appliance, and the same applies to wine coolers. Before you buy your wine cooler or even install it, you must analyze your space and the location you intend to display your wine cooler.

If you have a big space, an integrated wine cooler would be ideal, but you can consider a slimline wine cooler if you have a small space. Aside from measurements, another thing to consider is if you have enough room to open the cabinet doors fully.

Many people tend to forget this important factor when buying and installing a wine cooler, and it is among the key problems when it comes to usability.

Ventilation

Making sure there is an adequate amount of ventilation is essential to assuring your wine cooler works perfectly well and efficiently. Fortunately, most built-in wine coolers have front ventilation to make them comfortable when installing them.

However, if you’re purchasing a freestanding wine cooler, the vent would be located at the back, which means you would have to make sure there is enough space between the vent and the wall.

Power

How you’re going to power your wine cooler is also very important when installing it. With direct access to a power outlet, you will be able to supply your wine cooler with power.

If you don’t have one handy, you may consider calling an electrician to install a new one. Unfortunately, most wine cooler producers discourage the use of extension cords.

Gather materials and tools

Knowing how to install a wine cooler isn’t a rigorous process. You don’t need anything too technical; you can do it yourself if you already have the space to accommodate your wine cooler.

You’ll need to have these items handy:

• • Level
  • Tape measure
  • The manual comes with your model of wine cooler. This will provide precise instructions about ventilation and other details to set it up.

Location

The location of your wine fridge is crucial to ensure that it works at its best. As discussed earlier, ventilation is needed, so the location must have adequate space to accommodate it.

It would be best if you also try to avoid installing your wine coolers in direct sunlight or in any part of your home that gets direct sunlight. This could have a negative effect on your wines as harmful UV rays can alter the quality and taste of your wine.

How To Organize Wine Fridge

Good wine storage is key to preventing opening bottles too late or too soon, and here are methods to organize your wine fridge.

• • Respect the grid so you can track and locate your bottles with ease, nonetheless of your collection size. You can use letters or numbers to label each location.
  • Keep your valuable bottles out of view so you don’t open them sooner than intended. Put the ones you plan to consume sooner in more reachable positions.
  • It’s a good option to organize your wines by style, especially if you’re just starting. You can group them by red, dessert, white, rose, and sparkling styles.
  • Organize by variety if you’re the type that focuses on new world producers – ideal for medium-sized collections.