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Wine Chiller Buying Guide
There is an old Spanish saying that “good wine ruins the purse; bad wine ruins the stomach.” Storing wine improperly may lead to a host of problems, all of which result in ruining a good (and expensive) bottle. If you want your good wine to stay that way, avoid the perils of poor storage and invest in a wine chiller. Pronto’s Wine Chiller Buying Guide will help you find the wine chiller that fits your needs and your budget.
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the five
What are the five key points I need to look at?
Wine chiller design
For optimum wine aging, choose wine chillers with horizontal or downward-angled storage to ensure that the cork doesn’t dry out. Look for tinted glass that offering UV protection if the wine chiller will be kept in a room that gets sunlight.
Capacity
Choose a wine chiller with 20% to 30% more storage than you think you need. Countertop wine chillers hold 3 to 6 bottles of wine, mini-fridge or under-the-cabinet mount styles will hold 20 to 50 bottles and full-sized wine chillers will store up to 100 bottles of wine.
Temperature control
Generally, all wines can be stored safely at 55 degrees Fahrenheit. To store multiple types of wine, look for a dual-zone model or a wine chiller that offers a separate compartment that can chill wine prior to serving. Consider separate wine chillers for optimal aging of red, white and sparkling wines.
Humidity and vibration
Purchase a wine chiller that achieves and maintains 65% humidity to prevent corks from drying or forming mold. Antivibration mats and thermoelectric cooling systems reduce air flow vibrations that can upset aging wine. If your collection is extensive and/or expensive, choose a wine chiller with a backup generator in the case of a power outage.
Noise and energy efficiency
Wine chillers with thermoelectric cooling are the quietest and emit the least amount of vibration. Choose wine chillers with rigid foam insulation instead of fiberglass for the best temperature retention and greatest energy efficiency.
pronto pick
What product do we recommend?
We like the 29-bottle GE PWR04FANBS Wine Cooler for delivering high quality at an affordable price. This wine chiller gets everything right, featuring pull-out, adjustable shelves, an interior light and digital temperature control. The see-through glass door can be adjusted to open left or right, depending on your setup, and features a door lock.
experts say
Vino Refrigerator— “A wine refrigerator keeps wine at about 55 degrees Fahrenheit, and controls the humidity as well. A typical kitchen refrigerator is much colder than this.” Source: Vino Refrigerator
Love to Know— “If you plan to store high quality wines for long periods of time, it is always better to ensure that the refrigerator has a built in vibration controller so that the normal sediments in fine wine can settle as they are meant to.” Source: Love to Know
Wine Spectator—“If you are just storing decent quality everyday wine in your wine rack, it's unlikely that your bottles will suffer unduly. A refrigerator is not the ideal facility for prolonged wine storage because the relative humidity is too low. However, I would suggest you invest in a small temperature and humidity-controlled wine storage cabinet, which range from about $150 for a 16-bottle unit to approximately $400 for a 50-bottle unit. That way, if you decide to acquire some vintage classics, you'll be protected.” Source: Wine Spectator
celebrity buzz
What wine chillers are the celebrities using?
Renowned chef Wolfgang Puck has brought his expertise to bear with the Wolfgang Puck Bistro Electric Wine Chiller, designed to bring a bottle of white wine from room temperature to serving temperature in only eight minutes. This wine chiller is a great choice for entertaining, as it ensures that you always have a bottle of chilled wine on hand and ready to serve
Wallet Impact
What can I expect in my price range?
| Price | Description | Good Pick (see all Wine Chillers) |
| $ | Countertop wine chillers are great to prepare wine for serving or entertaining. These units are small, typically holding 1-6 bottles, and may store bottles vertically or with partial exposure to the room, making them a poor choice for those who want to age wines. |
Compare prices at 3 stores $104 - $105 |
| $$ | Mini-fridge style wine chillers that hold anywhere from 20-50 bottles may be found in this range Look for dual-zone temperature controls, digital temperature and humidity displays and glass that resists UV rays. |
Compare prices at 5 stores $389 - $479 |
| $$$ | High-end wine chillers sport serious storage capacity for the serious wine enthusiast. Designed to store 50-100 bottles, wine chillers in this range should feature multiple-zone controls, thermoelectric cooling systems, rigid foam insulation and battery or generator backup for power outages. | |
shop talk
What are the terms and definitions I need to know about?
Cork
A wine-bottle stopper made from corkwood or synthetic material. Corks should be kept moist to preserve wine integrity, as a dried cork may crack and allow too much air to enter the bottle, which decomposes the wine. Many winemakers are now replacing corks with screw-off caps, in part because 5% of corks, on average, are contaminated with bacteria.
Dual zone
A wine chiller that offers two separate, independently controlled compartments or one that maintains different temperatures at the top and bottom of a single compartment. This feature is useful for storage of different types of wine or for chilling a bottle you are about to serve.
Humidity
The amount of moisture in the air. If wine is stored in an area with less than 65% humidity, the cork may dry out, and can then shrink or crumble, threatening the integrity of the wine. At humidity levels above 65%, mold may form and damage the cork and wine.
Thermoelectric
A cooling method that uses variations in the flow of heat in different metals that are electrically charged to generate cold air.
Vibration
Movement from air flow or compressor movement that can upset the equilibrium and normal aging of wine.
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