A compact wine refrigerator is the ideal way to store your wine collection in prime condition, whether you are an avid collector or just like to have a few bottles on hand to share with guests. With wine cooler capacity ranging from eight bottles up to 800 bottles, a compact wine refrigerator can fit beneath a kitchen cabinet and a larger one can be placed against a wall. Dual zone wine fridges can be used to store different wine types at different temperatures for drinking now or for longer-term storage and aging.
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.
The advantage of a compact dual zone wine refrigerator is its ability to store different types of wines in the same fridge. 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.
How To Store Wine The Right Way
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. All good quality wine refrigerators should be vibration free and many are now introducing interior LED lighting as a method of further protecting the wine.
Even a low wattage bulb can increase the temperature in a space like a compact wine refrigerator. Because, ideally, wines should be stored in darkness, the use of LED lights that do not emit any appreciable heat will assist in creating a cooler and darker environment. Regardless of the type of lights you have, you should 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. Regardless of the space available for a wine refrigerator, tall, slender units that can hold up to a dozen bottles or larger furniture-sized units with a capacity of many hundreds of bottles can protect the wines from environmental hazards that can alter their taste, hasten their aging and reduce their overall appeal.
At his wine blog – ChrisOnWine – Chris Miley occasionally discusses wine refrigerators as an option for storing a wine collection.
Tags: compact wine refrigerator, dual zone wine refrigerator, wine refrigerators
