buy wine fridges

When looking to store your prized wine collection, it can be difficult to choose between a wine cooler and a wine fridge. For those new to the scene, these may be one and the same – however, there are quite a few differences between them. It’s important to be informed when you go to buy wine fridges or wine coolers, so let’s explore these differences.

Differences between a wine cooler and a wine fridge

While they may appear the same at first – at times, the terms are used interchangeably – a wine cooler is not the same as a wine fridge.

Wine coolers are smaller than wine fridges. Built-in wine coolers can be installed into a kitchen cabinet or placed on a kitchen countertop. On the other hand, wine fridges are much larger, and require their own little corner of the kitchen or cellar. However, with this size difference also comes a difference in features. Wine fridges often feature a vertical compartment to house opened bottles of wine – whereas, with a wine cooler, you do not get that luxury.

Wine coolers will, more often than not, cost you more than a wine fridge will, especially if you’re looking to store a larger amount of wine. Depending on the brand, however, you may be able to get away with a cheaper wine cooler.

The price difference is majorly due to the difference in cooling system the wine cooler and the wine fridge utilise. A wine cooler operates using a thermoelectric cooling system, which works by taking in warm air, cooling it, circulating it around the wine and spitting it back out through a vent. Whereas wine fridges operate using a compressor cooling system. The thermoelectric cooling system is much more expensive, and less power efficient. However, unlike its compressor counterpart, it produces almost no noise, and features no moving parts.

Another key difference is that freestanding wine fridges are the most common models available – whereas wine coolers come in freestanding, built-in, and even hybrid models, making them much more versatile.

Advantages of purchasing a wine cooler

There are several advantages in purchasing a wine cooler instead of a wine fridge. Firstly, convenience. You can hide your wine cooler in your kitchen cabinet – if it’s a built-in model – and, since thermoelectric cooling systems are near silent, it won’t bother you as you go about your day.

The smaller size also makes them easier to move, so if you decide to redecorate your kitchen, or do a deep clean, you can simply plug it out, and place it elsewhere. Once you’re finished, it can go back to its original spot.

Lastly, due to the lack of moving parts in their cooling systems, wine coolers will last much longer than their wine fridge counterparts, and if they do break, maintenance is much easier.

Conclusion

There are quite a few advantages in buying a wine cooler over a wine fridge, such as convenience, cost of maintenance, and versatility. While it can be difficult to store large amounts of wine due to the wine coolers’ traditionally smaller size, there are large models available on the market.