Best Wine Fridges 2022
Are you a wine lover in need of the best wine fridge for long-term storage? There’s nothing worse than opening your favourite wine to discover awful tasting vinegar.
Whether you are an avid home cook, expert hostess, or aspiring wine sommelier, the perfect wine fridge can protect your precious blends and ensure you can store them for as long as you like.
Wine refrigerators come in diverse sizes, but the price you might pay depends on the technology it uses, design, humidity controls, and energy efficiency.
Some wine fridges can also offer dual temperature zones and others multiple zones.
So, you have many variations to choose from, and literally speaking, they can look the same and confusing. To help you make a perfect choice and buy a suitable wine fridge that offers excellent returns on investment, we’ve put together tips and guidelines. We will also share with you our top selections of the best wine fridges of 2021.
Tips to select the best wine refrigerator for your needs
- First, you need to determine if you need a wine fridge. It’s easy to look at your infrequent wine purchases and assume you don’t need one. However, a wine fridge helps you store and forget any wine you pick up. So you can always have a spare bottle for an impromptu night out. If you also deal with major temperature fluctuations, buying a wine fridge is worthwhile.
- Wine fridges start at $120, but the best models are over $1,500. Again, the cheaper the model, the lower the lifetime. The most inexpensive models offer a one-year warranty. At the same time, you can expect up to a seven-year warranty on the more expensive.
- You need a bigger unit than you think. Overstocking a wine fridge can lead to hot spots, which can damage your treasured, fine wines. Buying a larger option ensures you can fill up without worrying about going overboard. That way, you can take advantage of buying opportunities for an extra-special blend and scoring amazing deals in your favourite bottles without fuss.
- Multi-zone wine fridges have their uses, but it’s also great to keep all your wines at a single temperature. In reality, you only need to decide on the serving temperature just before pouring them.
- Don’t forget to check how well your wine fridge will accommodate various bottle sizes. For instance, slimmer models cannot fit magnums. So, it’s better to choose a model that accommodates large-format bottles.
- Don’t forget to look for features such as separately sealed compressors, rubber feet, oak, or Beechwood shelves that ensure your wine remains cool and steady.
Now you know all the tips to choose the right wine refrigerator, let’s talk about our top selections of the best wine fridges of 2021.
5 Best Wine Fridges of 2021
1. Ivation 18-Bottle Thermoelectric Wine Fridge – Best Large Wine Fridge
As an avid wine collector, Ivation has a wine fridge for every need. You can purchase between units from 12-bottle to 51-bottle capacity without fuss. However, Ivation’s 33-bottle compressor wine cooler is the only dual-zone wine fridge you can buy. However, we do love the 18-bottle Ivation wine refrigerator because it fulfills its promises on a uniform and consistent temperature all around. This wine fridge is perfect for your long-term storage. Even as the units claim to offer 41 oF to 64oF (5oC – 18oC), you can expect a bit lower (by 5 points), giving you a much wider range for storing your wines.
You will also enjoy that this unit is a vibration-free thermoelectric wine fridge, ensuring your bottles will stay in position.
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Pros
- Easy to use LCD control display
- Removable and adjustable shelves make it easier to fit more bottles of standard size in your unit
- Very quiet and stable.
- Can adjust the temperature between 5oC to 18oC, which is perfect for your bubbles, whites, reds, and rosés.
- UV-resistant thermopane glass-reinforced doors to protect your collection from UV light
Cons
- Temperature control isn’t very accurate and can be unreliable during the summers, which is expected for thermo-electric units.
2. Antarctic Star Wine Cooler/Cabinet Beverage Refrigerator – Best Budget-friendly Wine Fridge
If you are shopping for a unit that doubles as your wine and beer storage, this is the perfect buy. Antarctic’s wine refrigerators are also sleek and compact so that they can fit into any space around your home. It’s also one of the best cheapest wine fridges you can buy that stores your wine collection and beverages for a long time.
The only downside is, you might have to sacrifice more bottle space for that. But, if you want to fit in more bottles, you can opt for the 26-bottle or 36-bottle capacity. Still, you will love its movable black shelves and gorgeous super quiet advanced cooling system.
Pros
- Excellent for chilling the wine and beer before entertaining
- Stainless steel shelves to keep your wines firmly in place. It’s also adjustable and removable to provide more space for storing your beverages and wines
- Energy-efficient LED light and display that is super easy to control.
- It comes with UV protection to keep your wine away from harmful rays.
- Temperature variations between 40 oF to 61 oF (4oC to 16oC) for most models giving you the ability to store most wines at optimum temperature
- A super-quiet unit that works pretty well for your living space.
- Built-in locks, which makes it easier to keep your fridge against curious hands
Cons
- Do note that your beer will never get too chilled in this unit.
- Dimensions are a lot smaller than advertised, so you need to aim for a bigger size than you genuinely want to get the suitable bottle capacity.
3. Schmecke 18-Bottle Compressor Wine Cooler – Best Single-Zone Wine Fridge
Schmecke wine fridges stand out from the crowd for their ability to reach 41oF to 64oF (5oC to 17oC). This budget-friendly wine cooler comes with enough size and functionality for everyday drinking. It also has a built-in fan system that ensures consistent and uniform temperature all around the unit, making it the perfect addition for long-term wine storage. Schemecke’s fridge also comes with a double-paned glass door to protect your precious collection from harmful UV rays. You will also love it’s easy to remove racks and easier-to-use LCD controls. However, because Schmecke comes with a compressor, you should expect a bit of noise. Still, Schmecke has a range of 12-bottle to 28-bottle single-zone units. However, we recommend the 18-bottle single-zone unit as it offers seamless and ultra-consistent temperature control.
Pros
- Excellent temperature range from 41oF to 64oF (5oC to 17oC) for all of Schmecke’s single-zone units. In contrast, the 33-unit provides a broader range of 54 oF – 64°F (12oC to 18oC) Upper Zone, and 41 oF – 57°F (8oC to 14oC) for the Lower Zone.
- Compressor-style, which is reliable no matter the external temperature
- Removable racks to accommodate different bottle sizes
- UV-resistant thermopane glass, reinforced to prevent air from seeping in
- Lockable door for safety and peace of mind
- Diverse sizes, including an 18-model variant which is the popular choice
- Easy to use LED control displays
- Affordable
Cons
- 1-year warranty
- Units can be noisy
4. Schmecke 34-Bottle Compressor Wine Cooler – Best Dual Zone Wine Fridge
If you are a wine connoisseur, here’s the perfect choice for you. This unit helps you store your wines in two different temperature zones with LED lightning adjustments so that you can create the ideal set-up with ease. You will also love the built-in fan, making it easier to maintain a consistent and optimal environment throughout the interior alongside the bright LCD for smooth operations.
Pros
- A tightly sealed unit that keeps out air and mold from your wine collection
- Easy to use control panel to adjust fan, temperature, and LED settings without fuss
- Built-in fan to maintain temperature stability without fear of the outside temperatures.
- UV tempered glass doors to protect against sun rays
- It comes with a lock to safeguard against curious hands.
- Removable shelves so you can accommodate more bottles
- Dual temperature zones to store your wines at separate conditions
Cons
- Quite expensive, even for the smallest models.
- A bit loud due to its compressor
5. NutriChef PKCWC120 – Best Mini Wine Refrigerator
NutriChef is a brand known for some of the best wine storage units. You can look forward to a sleek and compact size that fits into any space in your home. This also means you cannot expect your unit to accommodate as many bottles as typically advertised. It comes with a built-in circulation fan and ventilation grill to deliver accurate and adjustable temperature control that is excellent for your reds and whites. You will love that it’s very quiet and works in the background. We love the 12-bottle capacity, but you can also opt for the 15-bottles and 24-bottles units as per your desire..
Pros
- Adjustable and consistent temperature levels between 41oF – 64oF (5oC to 17oC), which is perfect for your bubbles, whites, reds, and rosés
- Double-glazed UV protection glass
- Child-proof lock
- A host of raving customer reviews
Cons
- 1-year warranty
- Single zone, best for cellaring
- It can be costly
Final Thoughts
Your choice will ultimately depend on how you want to use your wine fridge, the wines you drink and budget. Be sure to look out for the features we’ve talked about and you can choose the best wine refrigerator that fulfils your desires.