Use a Wine Cooler for Proper Wine Storage
They say the most important investment you can make in yourself is your education. Well, the most important investment you can make in your wine collection (besides learning to taste the wine) is a proper wine cooler. You simply can’t let good wine sit out on the shelf and expect to have the ideal wine drinking experience. Wine can and will lose quality over time if it isn’t stored in an environment that promotes well being.
When shopping for a wine refrigerator make sure that you know what your needs are. More casual wine drinkers or those with very little space might be better off purchasing a counter-top fridge or wall-mounted cooler. These units tend to have a small capacity somewhere in the range of 6 to 12 wine bottles. Most are thermoelectric, meaning they won’t make a lot of noise or vibrations.
If you are a fairly avid wine drinker but not a complex collector you can step it up to a mid-size unit. Mid-size wine coolers come in a wide variety of types and feature combinations. You can get a front venting, compressor based wine fridge to install under your counter or built into a cabinet. Front-venting units are the only type suitable for built-in installations of any kind due to ventilation requirements.
Mid-size units also come with thermoelectric power. These units should be used as stand-alone fridges only. Don’t make the mistake of buying a thermoelectric wine cooler for anything other than stand-alone installations. Thermoelectric wine refrigerators do have a variety of features that make them preferable in many circumstances, and this is why they are preferred for any installation that is not built-in. They have virtually silent operation- No listening to the fridge kick on and off. Thermoelectric coolers also don’t vibrate- This can be an important feature for those looking for long term wine aging, as vibrations can damage the quality of the wine over time. They are also energy efficient and better for the environment than their compressor based fridge counterparts.
Some wine cooler features that should be considered can be found in both front-venting and thermoelectric units. This includes the type of glass: Dual-paned glass is very popular for protecting wine and insulating the cooler. Tinted glass is also gaining in popularity to reduce harmful UV rays from attacking the wine. Door locks can be a useful feature for households where wine seems to disappear without your knowledge.
I think a wine cooler are a great addition to kitchen at home. They are more convenient and effective compared to just storing wines in cupboards or cabinets. For wine cellars, I think wine cellar cooling systems are much better.