The Advantages and Disadvantages of Wine Refrigerators

16 Feb The Advantages and Disadvantages of Wine Refrigerators

There is nothing complex about basic wine storage and you only need to keep in mind that the place you store your wine bottles has the right temperature and levels of humidity. The area should be free of direct sunlight and vibrations as well. If you have just started on your wine collection journey and feel you don’t want to invest in a full-fledged wine cellar just yet, you can consider purchasing a wine refrigerator instead.

A wine refrigerator may also be called a wine chiller; this is a free-standing unit that’s specifically designed to ensure your wines stay at a certain set temperature depending on whether you are storing white wines or red wines. These units are available in a range of bottle capacities, dimensions, finishes, and pricing and are a great option for a novice wine lover to store wine. Let’s discuss in detail the advantages and disadvantages of wine refrigerators.

Wine refrigerator units

The pros

• These units are the most basic and economical wine storage option if you don’t want to just store your wines in boxes in your basement.
• A wine refrigerator offers quite a steady temperature setting.
• It is a compact storage option that allows you to store wine bottles on their sides, which means they are exposed to a minimal amount of light.

The cons

• Wine refrigerators cannot be used as a long-term wine storage option.
• You can’t control the humidity levels in a wine refrigerator and they typically have a relative humidity level of 30%. But if you are looking to cellar wines, the optimum relative humidity of 60-70%.
• The environment in a wine refrigerator can be a little too dry; so even when you store your wines on their sides; there are greater chances of the wine’s cork drying out. Once the cork dries out, it becomes brittle and begins to shrink; a fissure in the seal starts at the exposed section of the cork and then slowly works its way down towards the wine. Eventually, this permits the air to infiltrate the liquid which causes oxidation and ruins the wine.

In simple words, when it comes to long-term storage and aging, a wine refrigerator proves to be a risky option. But if you are looking for storage solutions that will help keep your wines happy and healthy in the short term, a wine refrigerator is an excellent choice. If you are looking for something that will be more effective in controlling humidity and temperature levels, but aren’t ready to invest in a full-scale wine cellar, you should consider getting wine storage cabinets for your wine collection.

Wine refrigerator units – The different cooling options

The two main types of wine refrigeration unit options are:

• Vapour compression system – This type of system is similar to the one used in standard refrigerators.
• Thermoelectric system – This is a more energy-efficient option.

When you start looking you will find there are a number of different companies that manufacture wine refrigerators of different models and capacities. It’s important to buy a refrigerator of tried and tested brands. This entry-level method of wine storage will help you get a better understanding of how wines should be stored, how they behave in different environments etc.

It will also give you the time to decide whether you want to add to your collection of wines and eventually will want a custom designed wine cellar for your home. That is the recommended long-term storage option that gives you the ability to store your wines in an optimum environment.

For any more information on custom wine cellar design and installation, you can call Signature Cellars on 1300 570 636 or use this contact form to get in touch with us.

Thanks for reading,
Neil Smallman
Signature Cellars
1300 570 636