Wine aficionados hear the term “wine cooler” or “wine chiller” all the time. Interestingly the term has different across continents. According to Collins dictionary, while the British consider wine coolers as a bucket-like vessel used to keep the wine chilled before serving, the Americans, on the other hand, consider them as a refreshing beverage made of wine and fruit juice. In this guide, you are going to get some knowledge on how to choose a wine cooler, which is the important step for buying a wine cooler.
What is a wine cooler?
Since restaurateurs and maître, started referring the bucket like vessel as “wine coolers”, people started getting used to the term so much that it had to be added to the dictionary.
How to choose a wine cooler?
Wine chillers broadly have the below features.
Temperature adjustment
All coolers have options for at least one temperature value to be set. This usually ranges between 40 and 65 Fahrenheit.
Customizable racks
Wine coolers are made in cellar like design with horizontal wire or wooden racks. The space between the racks is usually the size of a Bordeaux wine bottle. These racks are removable to add more space for larger bottles.
Glass doors
Wine coolers are a show of pride, displaying the wine collections that you have got to your friends and family. To enable that, they usually come equipped with a tempered glass door, creating a wonderful display.
In this article, we will deep dive into wine coolers and learn the art of choosing one wisely.
Types of wine cooler
We now have a fair idea of what is a wine cooler or chiller is, so let’s take time to understand different types of it, to make an informed decision.
Wine coolers can be classified into three major buckets based on different parameters.
Compressor wine coolers vs. Thermoelectric wine coolers
Compressor coolers are known for their durability and power. They have the intelligence to automatically maintain the optimal temperature required to keep the wine chilled. They work on the principle of refrigeration and can be considered as a portable refrigerator. Plus, they also have a wide array of temperature zones and can be optimized to store different types of wines.
Thermoelectric coolers, on the other hand, are moderately efficient and can be really useful if you need a compact cooler. They are really low on noise and are highly energy efficient, when compared to compressor coolers. However, these type of coolers do not provide instant, wide range chilling and their internal temperatures will be affected by the ambience, unlike the compressor ones.
Dual zone vs. single zone
Dual zone coolers have internal partition, which allows the users to set different temperatures for different type of wines. It is ideal for those who would like to store different types of wines.
A single zone cooler, as the name suggests has only one standard temperature setting, which can be used to chill any particular type of wine. This comes handy for people who are just kicking of their wine collection and are not really into experimenting with multiple types of wines.
We must also note that both dual zone as well as single zone can be a compressor type or a thermoelectric type.
Built-in vs. free standing
Freestanding coolers are highly portable and can be placed anywhere other than an enclosed space. This type of coolers emanate heat from behind and putting them in a tight spot, might overheat them!
If you want to place a cooler within a confined space, then you must go for a built-in cooler. Built-in coolers are designed such that their heat vent is in the front and allows them to be placed in highly confined areas.
How to choose the best wine cooler for your home?
While there are numerous wine coolers available in the market, choosing one which would suit us, is a highly debatable issue. Our suggestion would be to make a list of your requirements and keeping in mind our handy tips, select one that would comfortably suit you. Here’s to happy wining!! For more information on wine coolers, you can visit our portal regularly.