People buy wine refrigerators for several reasons. The most common reason is that; they require a dedicated place to store all their wine collection. Everyone can’t have a dedicated wine cellar at home, it is not practical and is not cost-efficient as well. It is not possible to store the wine in the precious refrigerator space, as the temperature regulation will also not be attained.
The wine refrigerator is thus a priceless option to store the wine bottles at an appropriate temperature and they are capable of stocking a large collection of wine bottles as well. Storing the wine bottles in the wine refrigerator is also an efficient way to track the inventory of the wine and organize the collection.
There are also dedicated single and dual-zone wine fridges that help to organize and customize the wine storage by separating the red and the white wine bottles. Most wine refrigerators have a dedicated racking technology that helps to secure the wines and to place them in a horizontal position, to maintain them well preserved. The wine refrigerators not only store the wine bottles but also preserves and protect them. The wine fridge must possess some qualities to preserve the wine. Let us discuss the common features that wine refrigerators should possess here.
Common Features of Wine Refrigerators
The wine refrigerators for storing wine bottles are designed to maintain a consistent temperature to preserve the wine. The temperature inside the wine refrigerator should not fluctuate dramatically, and it should also possess humidity-controlling features such as UV protection glass and exceptional insulation.
These features help in protecting the wine from damaging lights. Humidity control also prevents the wine cork from drying and shriveling up. These are some of the features that we generally don’t find in a wine cabinet or a wine rack. The seven common features that all wine refrigerators and your refrigerator should have are as follows.
1. The Wine cooler should have a reversible door
The reversible door in the wine cooler ensures that you will be able to open the unit both from the left and the right directions. This can be of great use if you have space constraints and have tucked your wine cooler in a tight space, or under an existing cabin. This feature helps us to adjust the way the cooler opens without banging against a wall or a cabinet. Also, for left-handed individuals, reversing the appliance door could be highly comfortable to use.
2. The front of the wine cooler should be made of a double-paned thermopane glass
The front door of the wine cooler is very important and it has to be chosen carefully. If the front door is made of some cheap material, it could allow the light from the atmosphere to pass through and spoil the wine. Wine coolers with dual-paned thermopane glass help to prevent condensation. The thermopane glass doors comprise two glass panes with air or gas sealed between them. This makes these doors much stronger than single pane doors. They are warm to tough and also mitigate the chances of front and condensation at the interior portions of the cooler.
3. It should have a safety lock
Most of the wine cooler units feature a security lock, to prevent kids from opening them unnecessarily. In most of the units, it is a simple key-hole lock and is good enough to keep the contents safe from unauthorized access. A lot of wine cooler models, including the single door and the French door type, comprises a lock integrated into their design, and it is generally placed at the bottom center of the door, rendering it an elegant look. Very few models comprise factory-installed safety lock systems as well. (Must Read: How to Install Your Wine Cooler?)
4. It should possess LED Lighting
Most wine lovers, want to exhibit their collection to their friends during their visit or a home party, and the interior LED lighting of the wine coolers, subtly solves the issue. The interior lighting of the wine cooler is commonly LED or soft lighting. Apart from making it elegant, it helps in easy viewing and selection of the wine collection. Standard lights give out excess heat, which is harmful to wine. LED lighting is pretty much preferred, as it doesn’t give out much heat, and is also a safe option for wine refrigerators.
5. The wine cooler should be free from vibrations
The number one enemy of wine, that affects its quality and taste is vibration. Vibrations hurt the aging process of wine and affect the wine sediments drastically. The sediments are naturally occurring heterogeneous matter, that is found typically at the bottom of the wine bottle. When the wine cooler vibrates, these sediments will mix with the wine and alter its flavor and taste. Thus, make sure the appliance you choose is completely free from vibrations.
6. There should be a carbon filter in the unit
The carbon filters help in absorbing all the odors in the interior cabinet of the wine cooler, which could be detrimental to the wine. Each of these carbon filters will last for about six months, after which they have to be replaced.
7. The cooler should be able to maintain optimum temperature
The wine cooler should be able to maintain an optimal and stable temperature to maintain the wine quality. Temperature consistency is important to retain the taste and age of the wine. Extremely high temperature leads to aging of wine and extreme cold will inhibit its growth. People who store a combination of red and white wines should choose wine cellars that have dedicated compartments for each type of wine with separate temperature settings.
Bottom Line
Wine coolers are perfect for storing wine, for several reasons. They help to retain the original flavor of wine and make it consumable for many months and even years. It is important to look for all these factors carefully before purchasing the wine cooler so that the purpose is served.
