Are you the sort of person who loves to research every little detail before you buy? Us too.
If someone asked you if you needed to store milk in the fridge, you’d probably wonder how they got this far through life. When it comes to wine fridges – those specialised appliances that keep your wine in just the right conditions – things are less clear-cut.
As wine lovers ourselves, we often think about wine fridges. What are they for? Who needs one? Are they worth the cash? Is my modest wine collection right for a wine fridge? Or will it be like putting $20 in a term deposit savings account? We thought it was about time someone got to the bottom of it.
Whether you MacGyver a way to store wine without a fridge or you have access to James Halliday’s double-bricked, insulated cellar, it doesn’t really matter – wine needs looking after.
Much as you and I might shrivel up like a sultana without a hat in the sun or get fuzzy without daily caffeination, wine is sensitive to its conditions. Specifically, wine doesn’t care much for hot temperatures, oxygen, high humidity, UV light, vibrations or, uh, bad smells. Heat and light can make the wine taste less than good within a few months and, if the wine is sealed with a cork, it needs to be stored horizontally with just enough humidity to keep that cork moist (but not too much humidity or the outside might get mouldy).
Most of this is only really important if you’re storing wine for an extended period or if you live somewhere with one or more of the above in play. If that’s the case, you might want to consider a wine fridge.
Wine fridges look like regular fridges but act more like wine cellars. They usually control all the factors we just mentioned – temperature, air, humidity, light, vibration, storage angle – in a way that keeps the wine in good condition. This is particularly important for long-term storage since no one wants to wait 10 years for a wine to age only to find it’s gone all brown and sour. That’s a dinner party anti-climax.
Wine fridges also don’t get as cold as regular fridges, storing wine somewhere between 12°C and 18°C, while keeping humidity around 70%. They also vibrate less than regular fridges, typically have shelves designed to keep wine steady and horizontal, and generally have a clear glass door, so you can look lovingly at your bottle babies while they’re in slumber.
We’re not into gatekeeping here, so let’s be clear: if you want a wine fridge, go ahead. You have our blessing. Store a nice bottle for your friends, we’re chuffed for you (and a little jealous of your new purchase).
If you’re on the fence, though, there are a few reasons why you might need (or at least benefit from) a wine fridge.
1. You have a big wine collection
We’ve all got friends who come back from a trip to, say, the Adelaide Hills or the Yarra Valley with a car boot full of wine. Maybe you are that friend, or maybe you’re a budding wine collector. Regardless, a big stash of wine that won’t immediately get drunk is likely to be sitting around for a while, potentially exposed to the elements. With some wine fridges able to hold hundreds of bottles, it’s a great place to keep your collection in good nick.
2. You want to age wine
It’s like we said: wine needs the right conditions to be at its best, and this is particularly important if you’re going to keep it for years to come. Houses can easily fluctuate in temperature and humidity across the months and years, but wine fridges are specifically designed for consistency. You can definitely still age wine without a wine fridge, but a fridge is a little more ‘set and forget’ – a particular plus if you’re ageing expensive bottles or anything sealed with a cork.
3. You live in less-than-ideal conditions for wine
It’s not all about long-term storage or ageing or big collections – sometimes the odds are just against you. Maybe you live somewhere with constantly high humidity, temperatures that get super hot or fluctuate wildly, or your apartment vibrates like a rock tumbler. Whatever the case, a wine fridge might be a good way to ensure your wine is happy, even for short-term storage.
4. You just like them
Aren’t wine fridges sleek and pretty? Look at those bottles in there, behind the shiny glass. And how cool is it to have red wine at a good drinking temperature even on a hot day? You don’t have to justify it to us, we get it.
So, you’ve decided to do it – you’re getting the wine fridge. Now the big question is: which one? Here are a few things to consider:
Size: Wine fridges can range somewhere from a 20-bottle capacity up to 300 or more. Obviously, depending on your home, the physical size is going to be a factor (the biggest ones can be around two metres tall) but the more important thing is capacity.
Those small 20-bottle fridges are perfect if you’re an occasional drinker or happy to only store those extra special bottles in optimal conditions. The larger sizes are best for collectors or those who might otherwise consider a traditional cellar.
Cost: Wine fridges aren’t always cheap and you’ll have a better idea of your budget than us. Obviously, smaller fridges are typically less expensive than the larger sizes, but you can sometimes balance size and price by trading out some extra features (which we’ll get to in a second).
Expect to pay from $500 for the smaller, less feature-heavy options to more than $20,000 for the larger capacity styles with the bells and whistles. Don’t be afraid to trawl the likes of Marketplace and Gumtree for a second-hand wine fridge, either. We’re all about a pre-loved bargain.
- Features: Pretty much all wine fridges share some key traits: they keep wine at the ‘right’ temperature and humidity (which can often be adjusted within a certain range), keep light out (the glass is generally UV-treated) and hold bottles at a good angle for storage.
Some of them do more, though, and that could be a factor for you. Certain fridges, for instance, have temperature zones (meaning you can keep wines at different temperatures in the one fridge) or the option to switch between cellaring temperatures and serving temperatures. Others have extra security features to keep your wine safe or display shelves to show off your prized bottles at better viewing angles.
Look, not everyone needs a wine fridge. Cost, space, not actually owning any wine – there are plenty of reasons not to get one. If you do have wine to store, though, but don’t think a fridge is for you, that’s cool – just keep a few things in mind.
The best thing you can do is to keep your wine somewhere cool and dark. Instead of storing your wine in front of a north-facing window beside the fireplace, keep it in the bottom of the pantry or wardrobe. Obviously a basement or cellar would be ideal, but let’s assume you don’t have one of those.
The other thing to note (mostly if you’ve got wine with a cork) is that it needs to be stored horizontally. Corks can dry out when stored upright, meaning it can shrink and let oxygen in. Having the wine in contact with the cork will keep it moist and the wine much safer.
