Whether you're aging bottles in a wine cellar, want easy kitchen access, or only have space in the corner of a small apartment, buying a wine fridge is a great way to chill, store, and protect your favorite reds and whites (and rosés and sparklings, too). But deciding which cooler to purchase can be just as tricky as creating the perfect pairing.
Top connoisseurs, sommeliers, and high-end restaurants often gravitate to brands like EuroCave to keep their bottles at ideal aging and serving temperatures, spending thousands of dollars for precise temperature and humidity controls. Fortunately, for average oenophiles, there are more affordable options. Sacrificing on price may mean these fridges are never quite perfect, however, your bottles will still stay in an optimal temperature range, be well-protected, and will fit into any living space.
After extensive tests in Reviewed's refrigerator laboratories recording temperatures, and assessing build quality and storage capacity, our top pick is the Wine Enthusiast 32-Bottle Dual-Zone MAX Compressor Wine Cooler (available at Wine Enthusiast) . However, if you're more finicky about serving and storing wine temperatures, we discovered the Vinotemp 42-Bottle Touchscreen Wine Cooler (available at Amazon) offers better temperature precision and a unique interior design.
Credit: Reviewed / Betsey Goldwasser
The Wine Enthusiast 32-Bottle Dual-Zone MAX is the best wine fridge we tested.
How We Tested Wine Fridges
Credit: Reviewed / Betsey Goldwasser
The Vinotemp and Wine Enthusiast wine refrigerators rose to the top of our list after testing for temperature, capacity and build.
To find our top picks we compared six models from top brands from the perspective of a certified wine geek who for years has relied on these coolers to protect her wine collection, as well as from Reviewed's senior scientist who designs and oversees home-appliance testing in our Cambridge, Mass., laboratories.
The Testers
Hi! I'm Alicia Cypress, a managing editor at Reviewed responsible for overseeing all our Best Right Now product guides. But my true passion is wine. I'm WSET (Wine and Spirits Educational Trust) certified, which means I've formally studied the subject, and when I'm not focused on my day job, I keep up with wine industry trends. As an apartment dweller, most of my wine collection relies on using a separate fridge to ensure the bottles stay in tip-top condition.
I worked closely with Reviewed Senior Scientist Julia MacDougall, who's tested a wide variety of products, including rakes, paper shredders, and coding toys for kids. She also oversees all of Reviewed home appliance testing and has become an expert at what makes for a good refrigerator. She devised the testing for this guide and was responsible for evaluating the fridges and coolers from a temperature and build perspective.
The Tests
Credit: Reviewed / Betsey Goldwasser
We tested up to four fridges at a time in our refrigerator lab.
After unpacking and installing each appliance, we set the temperatures in the unit and then let each unit run and calibrate for more than 24 hours prior to further testing. This is similar to the way we test regular refrigerators; this gives the coolant time to circulate and ensure each product is working properly.
For the dual-zone fridges, we set the two zones to either 60 and 55 degrees Fahrenheit or 55 and 50 Fahrenheit, depending on the temperature limits in each unit. For single-zone fridges, we set the temperature to 55 degrees Fahrenheit.
To measure the temperature inside the bottles, we placed wireless temperature sensors in tiny plastic baggies, suspended them inside screwtop Chardonnay bottles, and then placed four bottles at four different locations inside each cooler. After three days, we pulled the temperature data from the bottles and then assessed each product with respect to its temperature accuracy (ability to hit a specific temperature) and its temperature consistency (ability to maintain similar temperatures throughout the fridge cavity).
Credit: Reviewed / Julia MacDougall
During our testing, a temperature probe was lowered into wine bottles with screw-top closures to measure wine temperatures.
If a cooler is both accurate and consistent, it would have wine temperatures throughout the entire cavity that were close to that setting and then stay that way as long as the appliance is running.
With a unit that is accurate but not consistent, the wine temperatures in one or more parts of the fridge might have an average value that matches the set temperature, but it could have more extreme temperature swings; furthermore, other places in the cavity might have temperatures that are very different from the original set temperature.
We also assessed each unit with respect to more user-focused criteria such as ease of use, build quality, and wine bottle capacity.
Tips for Buying a Wine Refrigerator
What Size Do I Need?
The first thing to know is you'll always need something with more capacity than you think. Considering a small 12-bottle countertop model? Go for one that holds 18 bottles. Spy something that's 24 bottles? Chances are, once you start using it, you'll wish you bought the 32-bottle version or one that holds 46 bottles. And for budding collectors, whatever you chose won't ever feel like enough. Most are created in multiple sizes. For this guide, we chose models to test based on which provided the greatest value, as prices will fluctuate depending on their size. So if you find a model you like, but it's not in the size you want, be sure to check the retailer for more options.
A Note About Bottle Capacity
Credit: Getty Images
Wine bottle shapes can vary depending on what kind of wine is inside.
When a manufacturer markets a cellar and claims it can hold a set number of bottles, it's usually doing so based on it only storing all of the same-sized bottles (usually Bordeaux-syle bottles). So a 32-bottle claim may actually hold less if you—like many vino lovers—have a wine collection of different styles and producers.
While a standard bottle holds 750 milliliters of liquid, bottle shapes and sizes vary greatly. In some cases, it's traditional (and sometimes required by a country or region's laws) for certain wines that are made from specific grapes to be bottled in specific-shaped bottles. The next region over will then stipulate something completely different.
For example, a Bordeaux bottle has high structured shoulders, while a Burgundy bottle has a longer neck with softer shoulders and a rounder midsection. Riesling bottles have even longer necks and are taller and more slender, while Champagne bottles may be similar to a Burgundy bottle but have a slightly wider base and thicker glass used to protect it from exploding. Trust me, that glass thickness will matter if shelves are too close together.
In our testing for this guide, we purposely used a random assortment of 750-milliliter bottles to test storage capacity. We found coolers with adjustable shelving and removable racks are generally more helpful to fit different-sized bottles. It also makes it easier to store Magnums or other large-format bottles.
Compressor vs. Thermoelectric Technology
Most of the appliances we evaluated include compressor technology. As Vinotemp—a brand that makes entry-level fridges to high-end cellar-worthy models—explains in this well-detailed buying guide, the technology is recommended for midsize units because it can quickly cool down, maintain a wide temperature range, and the fridge won't be impacted by the temperature of the room where it's placed. Unlike thermoelectric wine coolers—which may be more energy-efficient—where the external temperature of the room can influence how cold the fridge will get.
Do I Need Dual Temperature Zones?
In my early wine-buying experience, I thought having dual temperature zones would be the smart move so I could keep my red wines chilled at one temperature, and my whites chilled a little cooler, but as time went on, I wound up setting both sides of my 48-bottle cooler to the same 55-degree temperature. After 7 years, I upgraded to a 92-bottle refrigerable with a single zone and have not missed having the second option.
So do you need two zones? Maybe not, but dual-zone fridges can be helpful if you're eager to keep some bottles at a perfect serving temperature while keeping others at a more consistent aging temperature for long-term storage.
Free Standing vs. Built-In Wine Refrigerators
This decision is based on where you intend to keep your fridge. If you're installing it under a cabinet in your kitchen or bar area, a built-in model is best. These models will have ventilation systems in front (usually at the bottom of the unit), so that the warm air it emits doesn't get trapped and heat up the unit. Look for coolers that allow you to switch the door to open from either side, so you can customize it to your space.
Freestanding coolers are great for those who plan to place them in a basement cellar, living room, office, bedroom (no judgment!), or really anywhere else! The ventilation areas will often be found on the sides or the back. Just be careful to leave several inches of space around the side with the vent and not push it directly against a wall.
Still not sure? Fortunately, many built-in models can also be used as freestanding fridges. The format won't impact the cooling systems, it's mostly an aesthetic choice.
Other Wine Fridges We Tested
Credit: Reviewed / Betsey Goldwasser
The Vinotemp 42-Bottle Touchscreen Wine Cooler is a great choice for those who want temperature precision.
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Meet the tester
Alicia Cypress
Managing Editor
@alicyp
Alicia Cypress oversaw Reviewed's "The Best Right Now" product guides. She’s a veteran journalist, spending her career before Reviewed at The Washington Post and NPR. In her free time, she studies and writes about wine.
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