Wine cooler

Wine cooler

Choosing the right wine cooler for your home can be unexpectedly difficult due to the many types and options available on the market, as well as the features that different models have. To choose the most suitable of them, you should get acquainted with the information about the storage of wines as fully as possible.

Optimum storage conditions

Wine "is aging" due to the complex process of fine chemical reactions that require certain conditions to achieve optimal results. These conditions are:

1. Stable temperature about 12 ° C (for different types of wine there are some differences);
2. Relative humidity air about 70%;
3. Direct protection sunshine;
4. The absence of shakes;
5. Ventilation providing lack of strong foreign odors.

Even short exposure to extreme temperatures is dangerous., which can ruin the wine, as it provokes unwanted chemical reactions. It is for these reasons that the basement has always been the ideal medium for unloading wine.

In order to avoid temperature drops when storing wine in a normal room, you should purchase a special cooling wine cabinet. To provide protection from sunlight, its door should be either impermeable, or the glass on it should have a UV tint. To maintain moisture at the right level, it is important that the wine cooler has moisture control functions and is provided with reinforced insulation that maintains constant humidity. Thereby it will be possible to prevent the drying of bottle caps made of cortical tree.

In the design of the refrigerator for wine there are no trifles and ill-considered details at all. It is obligatory to have an anti-vibration system that eliminates bottle shaking. Also, as is well known, for long-term storage, bottles should be stowed on shelves made of hardwood. This is due to the fact that after a time on the metal shelf under the bottle will collect condensate that will spoil the label, In addition, the contact of the bottle with the metal, which with its cold will cause great damage to the wine, is undesirable.

Types of refrigerators

There are various types of domestic refrigerators for wine; they differ in technical characteristics, although visually these differences are almost imperceptible.

Built-in and autonomous

Differences in the design of freestanding and built-in wine coolers are caused by the characteristics of their installation. Freestanding wine cooler - this is all the familiar wine cabinet, which stands in sight, while the built-in is designed for installation in specially designed niches or furnishings. That is why these devices vary considerably in their structure. The key difference is where the deflector is located, or, as it is also called, the opening for ventilation.

In order for any refrigerator to work properly, ventilation is necessary to avoid overheating. Built-in models have a vent in the front under the door, while stand-alone units are equipped with side or rear ventilation. Accordingly, for their normal operation, sufficient space is needed on the sides of the device or behind it in order to be able to dissipate the heat generated.

You can install in a niche or furniture cabinet and stand-alone model of the refrigerator, but it is necessary to ensure sufficient distance around the apparatus to remove heat generated during operation. It is recommended to leave a space of 6 to 10 cm on each side of the radiator, as well as on the top and rear, in order to create the necessary air circulation. If for any reason it is not possible to achieve such gaps, then it is better not to use a stand-alone device as a built-in device to avoid its breakage.

Another important difference is the size of the refrigerator.. Built-in models are installed, as a rule, at the same depth and height as kitchen cabinets, dishwashers and worktop with which they are on the same level. Detached models can be of various sizes, so they do not have to fit the standards of kitchen furniture.

There are pros and cons to each of these types of wine coolers.. The biggest advantage for an individual unit is usually a lower price tag. A significant advantage for the built-in block is the fact that its use provides more opportunities for the placement and realization of design ideas.

Thermoelectric and compressor

Also, wine coolers differ in technology used for cooling.

Many small wine coolers use a thermoelectric cooling method instead of a traditional compressor and coolant. A thermoelectric cooler contains a cooling unit consisting of a ceramic tile through which an electric current passes, heating one of its sides and at the same time cooling the other. It is this cooled side that keeps you cool inside the wine cooler. As a rule, thermoelectric cooler should contain small fans inside the unit, which help to evenly distribute the coolness.

This method of cooling has the advantages important for the process of storing such a capricious product as wine.

Due to the absence of a compressor, thermoelectric refrigerators almost do not produce vibrations, which, in turn, creates less interference, leading to sediment deposits in wine bottles. But it must be kept in mind that the thermoelectric wine cooler is not completely “silent”, since the internal fans, which are needed to distribute cold air inside the cooler, work and they produce some noise. However, they are usually quieter than the noise from compressor driven models. Moreover, thermoelectric refrigerators consume less energy than compressor units, so they are cheaper to operate.

Thermoelectric cooling is not as powerful as compressor cooling, so it is suitable for wine cabinets that have a small capacity. Compressor models create a much more powerful cooling, so most of the built-in refrigerators use exactly the compressor. For the same reason, larger units are also cooled by compressors.

Besides thermoelectric coolers, as a rule, can produce cooling only 20 ° С lower than the temperature existing outside the unit. A wine cooler with a compressor can better adapt to different temperatures and additional heat loads, while maintaining a stable internal temperature, despite the environmental conditions. This is especially important if you plan to store wine bottles in the basement or other unheated place.

If you need a place to store a small amount of wine, for example, a single box or several bottles, then a thermoelectric refrigerator would be ideal. If you plan to store large collections of wines for a longer period of time, then in this case, of course, a compressor refrigerator is best suited.

Single-zone, dual-zone and multi-zone

There are significant differences among the various models in creating conditions inside the wine cabinet itself. Any of the wine coolers has the ability to accurately control the internal temperature, but some models have different temperature zones, giving additional features.

As a rule, white wine should be cooler than red. Connoisseurs sometimes even recommend storing wines of different varieties and yields at different temperatures. It is for this kind of buyers that refrigerators have been created that are capable of storing wine at varying degrees of cold temperature within a single appliance. Such wine cabinets are called two-zone or multi-zone depending on the number of temperature zones.

Devices with one cooling zone wines have temperature control for non-separable space, so the entire internal mode is set according to one temperature indicator. This works great when the owner keeps only white or red wines, because they do not have the same optimal storage temperature. In such cabinets, the temperature is maintained within the range of 10 ° C to 14 ° C.

Dual-zone wine coolers have sections, in each of which you can set different temperature indicators. Usually, the temperature at the bottom of the refrigerator is 6-10 ° C, which is ideal for storing white wines and cooling sparkling wines before serving them to the table. The upper compartment withstands temperatures ranging from 10 ° C to 14 ° C, creating conditions that are comfortable for storing red wines.

Usually, white wines should be stored at a lower temperature than red, it is important for their aging and preservation of quality, therefore they are located at the very bottom of a two-temperature refrigerator.

Three-zone wine racks have 3 departments:

1. Central office designed for wine storage, its temperature range from 10 to 14 ° C;
2. Bottom - for its cooling, the temperature in it is 6-10 ° C;
3. Top - in order to warm the wine to a temperature of 16-20 ° C, necessary for serving at the table.

Multizone devices are even more advanced and allow up to ten temperature zones, so that white, pink, dessert, red or fortified wines will be stored in ideal temperature conditions.

Manufacturers and models

The domestic market has a large selection of wine cabinets, which are designed for home use. You can purchase a built-in unit that can be placed under the worktop or a tall, narrow fridge decorated "under the tree."

Such as Pozis "Vine SHV-52 Cherry". This model is made in brown color, it has 1 compressor, electronic control, the ability to re-hang the doors, there is a function that allows you to close the door on the lock from curious children. The height of this stand-alone refrigerator is 130 cm, width 60 cm and depth 60 cm. It can place 52 bottles on its wooden shelves. There is a possibility for the location of the bottles in an upright position. The cost of this model is about 28 000 r.

Other model of the wine cooler - Caso "WineDuett Touch 21" - it is also a compressor type device. It is made in a stylish black color, has darkened doors, a freezer at the top location and a symbolic LED display. This model is designed only for horizontal storage of bottles and is equipped with shelves, which are metal grilles. Dimensions of this model are 80.5 cm / 51 cm / 34.5 cm, volume is 120 l. Cost 31500 p.

Wine cooler Caso "WineSafe 12 Classic", which is small in size (50.5 cm / 50.5 cm / 40 cm), also has one compressor. This model is made of stainless steel, the door is decorated with tempered glass. Shelves that hold the bottle made of wood. The refrigerator has electronic control and a backlit display. The useful volume is 87 liters. You can buy such a fridge for 35 000 r.

Built-in wine cabinet Liebherr "WKEes 553-20" It is a unit with a size of 45.5 cm / 59.1 cm / 52.2 cm in “stainless steel” color, having a transparent door. The electronic display has a backlight, the display system does not accidentally leave the refrigerator open. Also, this wine cabinet is equipped with a filtration and ventilation system. It is possible to store at the same time 18 bottles located on telescopic telescopic grids made of metal and having wooden sides. The cost of this device is 66 990 p.

Also included in the category of built-in kitchen appliances and wine cabinet Liebherr "UWTes 1672-20", designed for maximum storage of 34 bottles of wine. The model is also equipped with a compressor, filter and electronic display. There are both retractable telescopic grids and wooden shelves. The size of this model is 81.8cm / 97cm / 57.0 cm, the price is 109,990 p.

Dual-zone wine cabinet Caso "WineDuett 21" has dimensions 81cm / 34cm / 51cm. This stand-alone model works using a thermoelectric type of cooling. It is single-chamber, but has two temperature zones, equipped with temperature indicators. In the refrigerator 7 shelves made of wood, electronic display, ventilation. The cost of this model is 30 890 p.