Why Choose A Compact Wine Refrigerator

If you’re short on space but have a growing wine collection a compact wine refrigerator is the ideal way to store it. With capacities ranging from eight bottles up to 800 bottles, a wine refrigerator can be located on or under a kitchen cabinet or or be placed against a wall as a piece of furniture. A dual zone wine fridge is available that can be used to store different styles of wines at different temperatures for aging or drinking.

For the many people who do not have the space to build a mini wine cellar, a compact wine refrigerator can provide an ideal solution. A compact wine refrigerator will maintain wines at the ideal wine temperature and even those wines that are best served at room temperature should be stored in a cool environment while they develop complexity.

One of the advantages of a dual zone compact wine refrigerator lies is its ability to store different types of wines at different temperatures within the same wine cooler unit. The recommended storage temperature for white wines is between 46 and 54 degrees Farenheit and for red wines it is 54 to 64 degrees Farenheit. Besides providing temperature control, a compact wine refrigerator will maintain the correct humidity for storing wine.

The Right Way To Store Wine

All wine lovers understand that they must look after their wines and treat them with respect; this includes avoiding any vibration of the bottles, to protect the wine. Any good quality wine refrigerator should be free from vibration and some of the better wine refrigerators are now beginning to use LED lighting in the interior to further protect the wine from deterioration.

Even low wattage bulbs can increase the temperature in an enclosed space like a compact wine refrigerator. Wines should ideally be stored in darkness, so the use of LED lights that do not emit any appreciable heat will assist in creating a better environment. It is recommended that you only open the wine refrigerator when necessary.

Most compact wine refrigerators have metal or glass racks and will store the bottles at a slight angle to ensure the corks stay moist by remaining in contact with the wine at all times. Depending on the space available for a wine refrigerator – from compact under-counter units that can hold up to a dozen bottles to larger furniture-style units with a capacity to store many hundreds of bottles – a wine refrigerator can protect your wine collection from the temperature, humidity and vibration hazards that can alter taste, hasten aging and reduce the appeal of your wine.

At his wine blog – ChrisOnWine – Chris Miley occasionally mentions wine refrigerators amongst many other wine topics.