6 Important Points to Remember while Buying and Installing a Wine Fridge
Serving a quality wine from the kitchen refrigerator won’t do it justice! Its subtle flavors can be affected by the variations in temperatures. If you are a wine connoisseur, you should store your treasure of wines in a temperature-controlled wine fridge. And of course, for a true wine lover, the space in a regular fridge is not enough for his wines.
1. Why Not to Use a Regular Fridge for Storing Wines?
Wine fridges are a lot different than regular kitchen fridges because they control humidity (ideally 70%) and preserve stable temperatures between 12°C and 18°C (various temperatures for various types of wines) or colder, if it is used for serving wine. Your regular fridge cannot control humidity, won’t offer you those warmer temperature settings and doesn’t feature purpose-built racks for storing wine.
2. Compressor or Thermoelectric?
Compressor: There is a vibration to a certain degree in all compressor-type wine fridges. There are different opinions regarding whether the vibration disturbs and affects the wine quality or not.
Thermoelectric: Thermoelectric fridges are claimed to be providing controlled and consistent temperatures; however, they are typically pricier than most compressor models. These fridges claim to be vibration-free although there is some vibration due to the fan.
3. Serving or Cellaring?
It should also be considered whether you want your built-in wine fridge for short-term chilling or long-term cellaring. Some models come with varying temperature zones so that you can do both.
4. Stored Away or On Display?
Where the wine fridge will be kept and how much space it will take are also important points to consider. Sizes range from less than 85cm in height (ideal to fit even under a kitchen bench) to the height of a full-size fridge.
5. Size of Your Collection
A small-sized wine fridge can contain only 6 to 12 bottles. But before choosing a small fridge, remember that once you have a dedicated space for wine storage, you are sure to increase your collection.
6. Location
Think on where you would keep your wine fridge. If you want it closer to the living area, you should consider the noise. If it’s kitchen, you should be careful to avoid extreme temperatures e.g. from the oven. Preferably, keep it far from any location where there would be natural temperature changes. Such areas are laundry room, garages, lofts, etc. Also make sure there is enough room around the sides, top and rear of the installed wine fridge so as to allow good air circulation. Also keep it away from direct light.
Thinking on these points will help you choose a right wine fridge and its installation in a right location, so that you can be a proud wine fridge owner.