Buying a Wine Cooler? 6 Tips You MUST Know Before Buying A Wine Fridge!

[@tst7328]

Great video 🎉 I have two wine fridges, due to warm air rising I place my reds in the upper parts of the fridges and the white at the bottom. Keep enjoying your wines!

[@visforvino]

Good call!

[@theukyankee]

I didn't see this before we redid our kitchen and I'm glad that my research fit with your advice. We have one very similar to yours with the dual temps. We're using ours a bit for longer term but it's primarily for regular drinkers.

[@visforvino]

Glad I could affirm the purchase!

[@anneellis2362]

Great advice! We hadn’t thought about some of the things you mentioned- good to know! 👍🏻🍷

[@visforvino]

Any time!

[@johnclaeys376]

The door handle position is important…pay attention to which side it opens on (hint, not the wall)…also a lot of these under counter built ins are noisy and blow hot air out the bottom and will really heat up your space.

[@visforvino]

@@johnclaeys376 this handle actually switches. I needed it on this side because on the other side it hit the window sill when opened.

[@MattCampbellca]

I had the same thought! Argh! There must be a better outcome than a fridge with doors that can swing both ways. Definitely not optimal. Good kitchen design advises against corner appliances.

[@jonathanwilliams1974]

If you want a wine fridge on a budget, find an old refrigerator (many times free) and buy a $30 Inkbird temperature controller and set it to 55. I have one in my garage I use for cellaring bottles I'm laying down for years. I found an Amazon wine rack that fits inside that holds 36 bottles. Plus I can put about 10 below it and a few in the door. If I build a shelf above it I'll be able to hold another 10 bottles.

[@visforvino]

nice tip!

[@joeydecarlo2532]

Tell us about your long term storage! Is it off site somewhere? What kind of collection do you have? What are some of your special wines you're aging? That'd be super fun and interesting to hear about.

[@visforvino]

I have a separate fridge for long-term storage...maybe the next video I'll go through it!

[@frankr4038]

@@visforvinoI’m shocked you don’t have 1,000+ bottles! Cheers! PS: You do a fantastic job traveling the world as a wine educator!!! Thanks

[@samanthag.5025]

Excellent tips of things to consider. 👍🏽

[@MarkAuchtung]

I would also add that you consider one with moveable hinges or hinges that allow it to open towards that wall not from it like he shows. His door is backwards. That must be frustrating.

[@visforvino]

Good tip! This fridge actually has this feature and we did this intentionally. Otherwise, the handle hit the window sill.

[@ludovicdebord5520]

Thank you for the video 🙏🏻 I've a double zone fridge. But my coolest part (in mine it's the bottom part) doesn't make it cold enough anymore. Idk why. So I set it as a single for reds only. I think it's a thermostatic system. Any ideas why doesn't work properly anymore? :/ thank you 😅

[@visforvino]

I just had an old fridge stop getting cold enough for me as well. Try taking apart and cleaning the fans; they get dust and stop working as well!

[@jimdandy6452]

Just moved to Arizona last year and bought an 80 bottle wine fridge (single zone) i keep it at 55 degrees and about 95% of my wines are red. The only thing im nit happy about is are what i call the LABEL SHREDDING drawers....

[@visforvino]

I know! Nothing worse than these companies not understanding Burgundy bottles' width!!!

[@davidcampos5506]

Excelente tips

[@michaelmuniz-e6c]

Thermo-electrics don't have very long lifespans either so take that into account. A proper compressor based fridge will last years.

[@visforvino]

Oo, good tip! Appreciate it!

[@henq]

Surprising! As piezo has no moving parts and compressor do have. What is causing wear on piezo, do you know?

[@hispeed8500]

​@@henqIt's probably poor heat management. TECs have to reject the heat somewhere and perhaps some of the cheaper models don't have good ventilation to move the heat effectively. TECs are also used on cheaper models, so it could be people using the countertop units improperly in a cabinet.

[@dillonfuchs3208]

Which wine fridge is in the video? It seems great!

[@visforvino]

It's Cal LeFort. I've had a mixed experience. It's not bad, but I don't love the shelves.

[@DuyNguyen-mh7ld]

@@visforvinoI also have this fridge. Does yours have an annoying pulsing noise when the compressor is off?

[@travisthompson9104]

I love my “52 bottle” 😂 Vino temp but as everyone else has said drawer size is an issue for H & W. I’d love to know if there is a fridge out there that has solved this issue. I’ll be getting a second similar sized fridge in the spring when we redo our bar area and I’m hoping to find the perfect fridge by then. Orrr I’m just going to start storing all my burg and PN in a dark room.

[@visforvino]

I know, so many fridges claim they protect labels but don't!

[@bhrry2018]

The wood shelves are good or bad because of the temperature? Are affected in any way?

[@visforvino]

I don’t think they matter so much other than the fact that if they aren’t reinforced or heavy duty, wood has trouble supporting the weight.

[@JA-tv5nv]

If a free standing cooler has ventilation in the front, can it be put in a cabinet keeping the vent clear?

[@visforvino]

When you say IN the cabinet…you can’t close the door. The heat would build up. The front needs to be exposed. Otherwise, yes.

[@JPVLDRodrigues]

Is there any solution to keep reds at the right temperature when outside is colder than that? I have that problem with my reds in the winter.

[@visforvino]

Hm. Is the house temperature controlled? Or is the fridge in a garage or something?

[@JPVLDRodrigues]

Usually we only fire up the heating when we are in, and mostly in the living room... Not really the kitchen. If we are not at home, then the temperature slowly drops, frequently below 16ºC @@visforvino

[@joeydecarlo2532]

The "designed for Bordeaux bottles" thing is so annoying! I have a lot of burgundy shaped bottles with scraped labels because of this with my larger fridge 😑

[@visforvino]

Exactly, so annoying!

[@numanuma20]

I have three fridges just to keep all my wines. I don’t have a system.

[@visforvino]

Yes, I've accumulated a few over the years as well!

[@JPVLDRodrigues]

46 bottle capacity? So just barely enough for the weekend?! Joking... I'm Portuguese so you know how we roll when it comes to wine...

[@visforvino]

hahaha

[@ayhuiojg]

You didn’t recommend and brands or provide referrals to reviewer websites that you trust. Can you please provide some resources so we can get comparative recommendations on specific brands/products that meet these standards?

[@visforvino]

Unfortunately, I've personally had poor experiences with anything that wasn't significantly expensive, so I'd recommend the big names. This is one of those "you get what you pay for" categories. Eurocave, Sub-Zero, and Vinotemp are great. I've heard the Wine Enthusiast fridges can be good too. Hope this helps!

[@Vera-uj4st]

@@visforvino I see Ca'Lefort in the video - how has your experience been with that model/brand? I bought a Zephyr wine cooler and thought it would be good quality but it died after 3 years and no help at all from the company so looking for a new model. The Ca'Lefort search brought me to your page. Thanks.

[@visforvino]

@@Vera-uj4st while not terrible, not good enough to recommend unfortunately