Built in Wine Refrigerator

For any experienced or novice wine collector, built in wine refrigerators are a very convenient way of storing wines. They are designed to store and chill your wine at a certain temperature, usually from 45°F to 65°F, and make an elegant addition to the kitchen or bar area.

A built in wine refrigerator is also called a “wine chiller” and is available in different bottle capacities, dimensions, finishes, and prices. These built in wine refrigerators provide the best option for modern homes with limited space for storing their wine and also offer a lot of conveniences and energy saving features.

The difference between a wine refrigerator and ordinary house refrigerator is how they handle humidity. The former is specially designed to maintain humidity inside the unit, while the latter removes humidity from the air inside. Humidity is important to wine in order to keep the corks moist.

Another difference is with the storage features. The built in wine refrigerators are specially designed with shelves to hold the wine bottles, while the household refrigerator does not have any wine racks at all.

Built in wine refrigerator units have two major types of cooling options. One is the vapor compression system which is the most common type and operates just like in any ordinary home refrigerator.

The other type of cooling system and the most energy efficient is called the thermoelectric system, which is ideal for homes that have lower than 75°F environment and where the cooling requirement for wines is not lower than 50°F.

Some important factors need to be considered when looking for a built in wine refrigerator:

1. Price

Price is a big factor. Choosing a budget-friendly built in wine refrigerator gives you more money to spend on your wine, yet you can still enjoy the efficiency and protection of your investment.

2. Bottle Capacity

Think long-term when it comes to storing your wine. When choosing a wine refrigerator, go for a larger unit that can hold twice as much as the bottles of wine you presently have.

3. Wine Refrigerator Interior

Aluminum interior is the best choice since it is a good conductor of heat and cold unlike the plastic interior used in cheaper units, and can maintain steady temperature much longer. Check to see if the interior has a textured, pebbled lining on the door because it helps in the proper maintenance of humidity too.

4. Wine Refrigerator Shelves

Fixed chrome-wire shelves are usually found in standard wine refrigerators, but the more expensive ones feature stronger wood racks or grids. You can opt for an under the counter wine refrigerator that features roll-out shelves which make reading of bottle labels and removing of wine bottles fairly easy.

5. Wine Refrigerator Door

Choose a tinted glass door to protect your wines from harmful UV rays while still allowing you to see your wine collection.

6. Vibration

Vibration is caused by wine coolers with compressors, especially when it is turned on and off. This vibration can cause damage to your wine collection, so choose models with shock mounts to lessen the effect of vibration and check for coated racks for firmer grip of the bottles.

7. Alarms and Locks

A lot of high-end built in wine refrigerators feature an alarm system to notify you when the door is not properly closed and a lock to keep the wine collection secure.

Among the top manufacturers of built in wine refrigerators to check out are Avanti, Vinotemp, Vintage Cellars, Silent Cellar, and the N’Finity series.

So for an economical alternative to storing your wine collection, a wine refrigerator is the best choice and wise investment. Built in wine refrigerators feature a steady temperature setting, compact and convenient storage, horizontal shelves for better positioning of wine bottles, and UV light protection to prevent damaging your wines. These units are a decorative and convenient way to store a valuable wine collection for the budding enthusiast.

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