Choosing a Wine Bottle Refrigerator

Most of us don't have wine cellars these days. It simply isn't practical and even those with basements rarely have ideal conditions. However, you can use your wine bottle refrigerator as wine cellar.

You see, the entire point of a cellar is to keep the wine not at room temperature as we know it, but at earth temperatures. It's important to serve your wine, whether red or white, at the correct temperature. Anything else and you are wasting the bouquet and palate. Here are some basic guidelines for the temperatures of your wine.

• Red wine: 55-60°F / 12.7-15.5°C

• White wine: 49-56°F / 9.5-13.3°C

• Rosé wine: 49-51°F / 9.5-10.5°C

Did you know that your wine can actually depreciate in quality when stored in a regular kitchen refrigerator? It's true. The vibrations caused by the motor running can cause the components in the wine to stop working properly. Without the full function of these, the wine will not mature correctly and it won't have the same flavor.

To the average homeowner, throwing back a couple glasses of wine with friends, this might not be noticeable, but if you care about your wine and wish to develop a taste for the finest, then you need to be aware of the dangers that the average refridgerator can hold for your collection.

Wine bottle refridgerators have vibration dampening systems to keep the wine cool and quiet. That means you will get the full flavor in every bottle.

The wine bottle refrigerator that you choose will depend on several factors. Just how into your wine you are is a big one since someone who is very interested in collecting top quality bottles will often make the space in their home for a larger refrigerator.

Space is a big consideration. Just how much room you have available for a cooler will greatly impact which size of wine refridgerator you choose. If you only have space on the counter, for example, then a compact wine refrigerator is the perfect way to go.

Price will, of course, need to be factored into the equation. However, keep in mind that you get what you pay for and a cheap model mini fridge is going to do more harm than good with its vibrations and light. Expect to pay a minimum of $200 for a decent compact fridge, and up to $5,500 for a full built in wine refrigerator.

Which types of wines you prefer will also help you decide. If you drink only white or only red, then you don't need a duel zone wine refrigerator, but if you need to keep two different temperatures, these all-in-one models can be ideal.