How To Choose a Wine Cooler

Choose a wine cooler according to how many bottles of wine you want or need to cool at once. The size of the cooler will often be stated in the number of bottles. In the menu you will find:

• Small wine coolers for 1 to 8 bottles for lovers of quality wine who indulge in one glass from time to time.

• Models of higher class wine coolers can hold two hundred or more bottles at once.

This parameter is reflected not only in the price, but also in operating costs. According to the method of cooling, we divide wine coolers into:

• Wine coolers that cool by means of a thermoelectric cell - they work on the principle of a Peltier cell. They are cheaper, they last a long time, they have a very quiet operation and zero vibrations. Their disadvantage is lower performance (therefore they are used primarily in smaller coolers), higher energy consumption and longer cooling time (wines cool to the required temperature usually in about 24 hours).

• Wine coolers that cool with the help of a compressor - compressor wine coolers work similarly to refrigerators, i.e on the basis of coolant. They are more powerful, have lower energy consumption and cool quickly. Cooling wines to the desired temperature often takes less than an hour (usually about 30 minutes). The only two minor disadvantages to consider before buying a compressor wine cooler are higher noise levels and a higher price.

Shelf construction

Wine bottles are stored in the wine cooler on the shelves in a horizontal position to prevent the corks from drying out, so that air does not get into the bottle and the wine does not "spoil". The shelves are manufactured in two variants:

• Metal shelves – chrome shelves typically have a curved shape and are more affordable

• Wooden shelves – wood is not only more elegant than metal shelves, but also more functional. It can maintain ideal humidity. Teak, cherry, beech or oak are often used to make shelves for wine coolers.

Number of shelves

The width of the cooler also determines the number of wine bottles that can be stored on one shelf. You will most often come across wine coolers with a capacity of 3 to 13 bottles per shelf. To avoid the hassle of counting how many bottles you store per shelf and therefore how many shelves you need, the manufacturers state this number for you.

TIP: Do you often drink half a bottle of wine and save the rest? Then choose from wine coolers with space to store an open bottle or carafe.

Correct location of the wine cooler

Whether you choose a built-in or free-standing cooler for your home, pay attention to its location.

• The wine cooler should not be exposed to direct sunlight. Not only does the sun contribute to the degradation of the wine, but it also raises the temperature inside the cooler. It then has to put more effort into cooling, which is reflected in your energy bill.

• If you are installing a wine cooler in the kitchen unit, place it as far away as possible from your oven and hob. Heat from other appliances would unnecessarily raise the temperature inside the cooler.

• For free-standing coolers, choose a place as far away as possible from fireplaces or radiators.

Weight of the wine cooler

If you plan to place your wine cooler on top of another piece of furniture (like a table or counter top) . We recommend that you first check the furniture’s load capacity and select the appliance accordingly. It is important to take into account not only the weight of the appliance itself, but also the weight of the wines stored.

An important criterion when choosing a wine cooler is design. This depends not only on your taste, but also the style of the area in which the cooler will be located.

• If you like a clean and modern look and want your appliances to be built-in, you will only really be interested in the design of the front of the appliance. The rest will be hidden in a cabinet, kitchen island or living room wall. We offer built-in wine coolers with a glass door with a handle or a stainless steel frame in silver or black or a combination of both.

• Choose a free-standing wine cooler not only according to the front, but also according to the design of the sides. A very popular and at the same time tasteful choice is the stainless steel and black design. In addition to traditional and less conspicuous wine coolers, there are also colorful and retro pieces appearing on the market more and more often, which act as a dominant feature of the room.

The number of cooler zones is directly proportional to the number of types of wine you plan to store your cooler. How many different wine cooler zones are there on the market and what are their benefits?

• Single-zone wine coolers allow setting of only one temperature throughout the entire appliance. Therefore, it serves to store only one type of wine.

• Dual-zone wine coolers allow you to set two different temperatures in two different zones. Therefore, you can store two different types of wine.

• Multi-zone wine coolers allow you to set different temperatures according to the number of individual zones. There are even models of wine shops without separate zones. The temperature in them decreases from top to bottom. And so you decide for yourself which wine to store on which floor. E.g. in the upper floor you store red wine, which does not need to be cooled to a low temperature, in the middle you store white wine and in the lower part of sparkling wine.

The most affordable are single-zone coolers. Second are two-zone coolers and the most expensive multi-zone coolers. The differences between these are several thousands of CZK. So it is important to be clear in advance what wine you will store in the future.

TIP: Bazaar will provide you with coolers at a cheaper price. Here you will find second-hand wine coolers of various types in excellent condition and with a guarantee.

Wine coolers are just like refrigerators or freezer appliances that run all day. They cool 24 hours a day, so it is necessary to take into account a certain level of energy consumption.

The energy label and energy classes will outline what operating costs to take into account when running a wine cooler. The most economical coolers will be marked with the letter A (or A + or A ++), coolers marked G consume the most energy.

What information can you find on the energy label of wine coolers?

TIP: To get a better idea of the energy consumption of the wine cooler, you can calculate the approximate operating costs.

Example of the calculation of the daily and annual energy consumption of a wine cooler with a capacity of about 20 bottles

* You will find the annual consumption in kWh on the energy label, which you will find on every wine cooler.
** Calculated with the price of CZK 4.80 / kWh.
*** The energy consumption of the wine cooler is affected by the ambient temperature, the size of the usable volume, the type of compressor and other parameters.

Energy consumption is also often affected by the ambient temperature around the cooler. The warmer it is around the wine cooler, the more the cooler will have to cool (and therefore consume more energy) to keep the wines at optimum temperature. That is why wine coolers, as well as refrigerators or freezers, are designed according to different climatic conditions and divided accordingly into climatic classes.

The climate class indicates the optimal ambient temperature at which the wine cooler will operate. We distinguish four climatic classes for wine coolers:

• Climate class SN – from +10 °C to +32 °C
• Climate class N – from +16 °C to +32 °C
• Climate class ST – from +18 °C to +38 °C
• Climate class T – from +18 °C to + 43 °C

Some wine coolers may operate well across several climate classes.

Are you planning to place your new wine cooler in the living room or another room that you normally spend a lot of time in? Then don't forget to take its noise levels into account when making your choice. The operating noise of the appliance should not be a disturbance/ irritating.

We already know that wine coolers with a thermoelectric cell are noisier and coolers with compressor cooling are less noisy. The fewer dB (decibels), the quieter the wine cooler will be. You can find the noise level of the wine cooler on the energy label.

To give you an idea of how loud the wine shop will be, here are a few day to day examples of noise levels:

• 20 dB – whisper
• 30 dB – quiet home
• 40 dB – quiet office
• 50 dB – normal phone call
• 60 dB – loud phone call

If you have been looking in vain for a place to put a wine cooler, do not despair. There are coolers with a width of 15 cm currently on the market that will fit into any household. These narrow coolers are usually able to store between 1 to 7 bottles of wine and the bottles are placed horizontally on top of each other (one bottle per shelf).

The more space you have, the more you have to choose from. Think about how many bottles you want to store (some wine coolers can hold over 300 bottles of wine) and carefully measure the place where you want to place the cooler. Then all you have to do is choose the ideal wine cooler for your home.

With certain wine coolers you will find useful accessories that will provide you with better user comfort.

Interior lighting

The lighting inside the wine cooler must not overheat the bottles. If you do not need to have the cooler lit all the time, you will appreciate lighting which is activated by touch (Touchlight). This will allow you to illuminate the wine cooler area for the required time it takes you to choose a suitable bottle without having to open the cooler. The original interior accessory is a wine cooler with LED lighting, which is constantly lit and does not heat up.

LED display

Displays the currently set temperature, humidity and other important information about the wine cooler.

UV filter

The sun's rays contribute significantly to the degradation of wine. Therefore, choose wine coolers with a UV filter in the glass door panel. The glass can then be clear, but the bottles inside are protected from the sun.

Lock

You can also lock some wine cooler models. As a result, unauthorized persons or children cannot access the wines inside.

Antibacterial protection

Often referred to as antiBacteria, it removes unwanted bacteria inside the cooler

Supercooling

The supercooling function makes it possible to reduce the temperature in the wine cooler for a short time so that the temperature of the wine inside the bottles is optimized faster.

Airfreshfilter

The Airfreshfilter function neutralizes unwanted odors inside the wine cooler and keeps the air fresh at all times.

Moisture is especially important for the proper sealing properties of the cork stopper. It is ideal when in the range of 50-70%. As soon as the humidity inside the cooler drops below 50%, you run the risk of the cork drying out, air getting into the wine and the wine becoming oxidized. Long-term humidity above 70%, on the other hand, can cause mold and odors inside the wine cooler. The odors can then penetrate through the cork into the bottle and degrade the wine. The walls and shelves of the wine cooler allow you to keep the humidity inside at optimum level.

A constant temperature without large fluctuations is important for the storage of wines. That is why it is not advisable to store wines in the classic refrigerator, which you go to several times a day for food. The maximum fluctuation should not be more than 2 ° C to plus and minus. What temperature is optimal for which wine?

Optimal temperature for wine storage

If you are cooling more than one type of wine, get a multi-zone wine cooler, see Wine cooler parameters - Number of zones.

Minor shocks that you often don't even noticel can disrupt the maturation of the wine and even devalue it. Vibrations prevent the slow formation of deposits, which dissolve in the wine. And while young wines resist vibrations, mature and usually expensive wines can be irreversibly damaged by them.

If you plan to store mature wines in your new wine cooler for a long time, choose coolers equipped with rubber stands, vibration protection, wooden shelves and, in the case of compressor cooling, also special rubber silent blocks.