A wine cooler is a specialized refrigeration appliance that provides wine storage, wine preservation and wine aging under controlled conditions.

What is the difference between a wine cooler and a wine refrigerator?

The terms wine cooler and wine refrigerator are used interchangably and both refer to a specialized refrigeration appliance that provides wine storage, wine preservation and wine aging under controlled conditions.

What does a wine cooler do?

The basic functions of a wine cooler are maintaining a constant, appropriate wine storage temperature and humidity while minimizing natural or artificial light.

Why is a wine cooler needed?

Wine is a perishable good. Some of the basic enemies of wine, from a preservation standpoint, are temperature and humidity. A typical household’s internal temperature can range between 68 degrees to 80 degrees Fahrenheit (20 to 27 degrees Celsius) and experience frequent and sudden changes in sunlight and humidity, especially during the changing of the seasons. Under these household conditions, wines really shouldn’t be kept for more than a few months. However, a wine cooler maintains a constant, cool temperature allowing wine to age appropriately and extending a wine’ shelf life.

How does wine age?

Wine aging is mostly the interaction between three of wine’s components, sulfites, tannins and acid and the fruit in the grape itself. Some general rules of thumb regarding wine aging:

• Wine must have a fairly high level of tannins to age at all.
• Wine must have acidity to keep it fresh tasting.
• Fruit is what makes wine taste good
• The fuller a wine is in all 3 of these components, the longer it will age.

What can impact wine aging?

Temperature, humidity and light all have an impact on wine aging, however, temperature is the one variable that has the greatest impact. Wine aging is a series of chemical reactions that take place over time. Different temperatures levels can speed up or slow down the chemical reactions within a wine bottle. A wine cooler maintains a constant temperature and thus provides an ideal environment for wine to age. Use winecellarscoolers.com’s wine storage and wine aging temperature calculator to measure the impact of varying temperatures on the aging of wine.

What is the ideal temperature for wine storage and to set a wine cooler at?

Ideal wine storage temperatures vary from 41 degrees Fahrenheit for sparkling wine to 66 degrees Fahrenheit for port, however, the ideal long term storage temperature for all wine is about 55 degrees Fahrenheit or about 13 degrees Celsius.

Can I store wine in my kitchen refrigerator?

It is not recommended. A kitchen refrigerator is too cold for most wines (typically below 40 degrees Fahrenheit and usually between 35 degrees and 38 degrees)and can dry out a wine’s cork allowing air into the bottle. Further, a kitchen refrigerator is constantly opened and closed making it harder to maintain a constant temperature. Lastly, when wine is put in a kitchen refrigerator, it is usually stored standing up as opposed to on its side (this keeps the cork moist).

Where are wine coolers installed and used?

Wine coolers can be free standing, built in or countertop models. As the name implies, free standing units can be placed and used near any electrical outlet. Built in units are typically built into the cabinetry of a kitchen, bar or living area. Countertop units are smaller units that are placed on kitchen, bar or entertainment area countertops.

What is a thermoelectric wine cooling system?

A thermoelectric wine cooling system, in contrast to typical compressor based cooling systems, are solid state semiconductor devices without moving parts, fluids, chlorofluorocarbons or other chemicals or gases. Put simply, electrons moving through semiconductor material absorbs heat and moves it to the hot, expelling end of the unit cooling the air in the enclosed unit.

What size wine cooler should I purchase?

Wine coolers can range in size from a 6 bottle capacity up to a 50 bottle capacity and more. One easy way to estimate the wine cooler size that needed is to keep track of how much wine you drink in a month and multiply that amount by twelve. Four bottles of wine consumed a month means a minimum forty eight bottle wine cooler capacity.

Published 7/27/2009 12:00:00 AM

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