The Best Wine Fridges

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Wine has long been kept in cellars and underneath the surface level for centuries. In hopes of keeping it cool and preserving it properly, these colder and darker environments provided a safe place for wines to retain their taste and mature adequately. These are the best wine fridges, reviewed! 

See also: These are our favorite champagne and food pairings for your favorite bottles of bubbly!

How to Choose a Wine Fridge 

While not all of us are lucky enough to have a stately cellar, a cool cantina or a lavish walk-in wine room there are many different options to keeping wine in its optimal climate. I’ve taken the opportunity to review a variety of units to find out what the best wine fridge truly is. 

There’s quite a bit more than you think that goes into finding the best wine fridge. Hopefully by getting some fresh perspective, you can hope to keep your wine at the perfect temperature and as convenient as possible! Price is the first variable to consider, wine fridges do not come cheap but neither does wine worth putting in them, so you’ve probably come to the right place. Everything from the size of your wine bottles to the functions you’d like in a wine fridge are up for consideration. 

Ask yourself questions like, how many bottles of wine do I want it to keep? How large of a wine fridge can I accommodate? Do I need more functions than temperature control? And do I want a built-in or freestanding wine fridge? 

Built-In Wine Fridges VS Freestanding Wine Fridges 

Offering similar functionality down the line, the biggest difference you can expect to find between the two is largely related to how you want them to fit into your home. Do you want it to serve as an installation in your kitchen much like any other appliance, or will it occupy its own space either on a countertop or on the floor? 

A countertop unit might not hold as many bottles, but the space-saving potential of a base cabinet sized wine fridge might be the perfect solution. If you’re not looking to remodel a section of your kitchen a freestanding unit would be your best bet. If you’re a serious wine lover and you like the look and capacity of a built-in wine fridge then you should probably stick to the latter.

Overall it’s a pretty simple differentiation, look before you buy! The last thing you’d want is a wine fridge that you can’t use in your own home. 

What is the Best Wine Fridge?

EdgeStar 36 Bottle Built-in Wine Fridge

With the standard design you’d expect to find out of a wine fridge, this built-in unit by Edge Star achieves a 36 bottle capacity with 10 slide-out bottle racks. Stainless steel finish on the front and tempered glass french doors are the main selling point of this unit. In this case, standard isn’t a synonym for bad or boring. The finish is designed to fit in with most modern kitchen styles, making it a really universal option. 

This model is designed to fit comfortably into most base cabinets. A front-facing vent allows it to be completely built-in. One aspect worth noting about this wine fridge is that 35 wine bottles can only fit comfortably 750ml 2.75’ Bordeaux bottles. In other words, most bottles will fit comfortably but your champagne bottles may require you to remove a shelf, thus decreasing the wine bottle capacity.

Pros:  

  • Slide-out shelves are stylish and convenient 
  • French door design is practical and attractive 
  • Completely designed for built-in application

Cons: 

  • Bottles are faced two-forward one backwards in the middle 

Deco 7 Bottle Thermoelectric Wine Fridge

This is the first freestanding/built-in unit I’ll be reviewing, its smaller capacity makes it more suitable for low-profile installation. Slim and sleek, this is the perfect unit for those who aren’t looking to entertain, but just for a suitable way to store a few of your favorite wines. One unique feature of this wine fridge is that it’s also made to be installed in spaces with well, not a whole lot of space. 

It touts its RV installation capabilities, even including floor and wall mounting brackets as well as vibration proof racks and a lock to prevent wine bottles from crashing out of the fridge or against the interior. I suppose this might make it the right choice for a yacht too, who knew!

Pros:  

  • Slim 22lb wine fridge is perfect form factor solution for tight spaces
  • Various installation options and mounting abilities 

Cons: 

  • Thermoelectric cooling only goes cold enough to prevent premature aging, won’t chill your wines. 
  • 7 bottle capacity max
  • No handle, built-in capability would have to account for room to grab the side or top of the door. 

Antarctic Star Wine Cooler 

Our first freestanding wine fridge, this unit provides ample storage and a flashy way to show off your wines that you’d like to keep on-hand for you and your guests. Its capacity allows you to keep what some would consider to be a small collection completely safe from unsavory temperature fluctuations. Thermoelectric cooling means that there’s a small range of temperatures available, although it does cut out the need for a noisy cooling system. 

It will house 36 of your favorite bottles of wine, at 750ml each. This is a somewhat larger capacity as compared to other models, although it relies on having some bottles stored vertically, while some are laying horizontally. To achieve the maximum capacity you have to stack bottles on one row, which may not be to everyone’s liking, certainly not mine. 

Pros:  

  • 36 bottle capacity 
  • Completely transparent glass door 
  • Stylish finish that will suit any home bar, kitchen or dining room well. 

Cons: 

  • Bottles need to be stacked and arranged on thin wire shelves to fit to the total of 36 

Frigidaire FRW122d Wine Fridge

This is another small wine fridge that would be perfect for keeping a dozen wine bottles cool at a time while taking up as little space as possible. This unit is completely freestanding, with an all black exterior that hopes to keep largely out of sight. This is one for underneath the bar, or desk if you’ve got that kind of job. (I wish). 

A series of wire racks allow for 4 open bottles to be stored standing with another 8 lying flat in pairs. It takes up a small amount of space, about that of a large computer tower, with the ability to keep a handful of wines cool. What’s different about this unit is it’s just slightly too large to fit on your countertop, but a bit too small to sit on the floor on its own. You’d have to have just the right space for this small wine fridge. At the end of the day, it’s a decent value model.

Pros:  

  • Four open bottles can be stored at once.
  • Low-profile for unique applications 
  • Entry-level value model 

Cons: 

  • Only capable of holding its capacity in standard size bottles 
  • Unattractive design 

Ivation Premium Dual Zone Wine Fridge 

This fully freestanding wine fridge has one unique feature that’s immediately evident. Two doors allow you to keep 8 bottles separate so you can access one rotation of your favorite wines without disturbing the relative temperature of the rest of the bottles. Totalling 24 750ml capacity, you can store a fair number of bottles before restocking. 

Attractive beechwood shelves can be removed to accommodate larger bottles, like champagne at the cost of total bottle capacity. Provided you don’t have too many cupboards, this freestanding wine fridge dominates it’s own territory on a countertop. But would also fit comfortably on the floor if desired. A stainless steel finish with smoked tempered glass and stylish wood shelves makes this a good looking appliance in any space.

Pros:  

  • Rack design allows for larger bottles if desired, as each bottle occupies its own space between slats of beechwood. 
  • Attractive overall design 
  • Precise dual thermoelectric temperature control 

Cons: 

  • Side vents on the right side panel are not the best looking. 
  • Handles protrude out somewhat far as compared to some appliances. 

What is the Best Wine Fridge? 

EdgeStar 36 Bottle Built-in Wine Fridge
Deco 7 Bottle Thermoelectric Wine Fridge
Antarctic Star Wine Cooler 
Frigidaire FRW122d Wine Fridge
Ivation Premium Dual Zone Wine Fridge 
EdgeStar CWR362FD 24 Inch Wide 36 Bottle Built-In Wine Cooler with Dual Cooling Zones
Deco 7 Bottles Thermoelectric Built-in/Freestanding Wine Cooler
Antarctic Star Wine Cooler Refrigerator Fridge 37 Bottles Single Zone Wine Cellar Freestanding Wine Chiller with Stainless Steel & Double-Layer Glass Door/Digital Memory Temperature Control Silver
Hamilton Beach, 22-Bottle Wine and Beverage Cooler
Ivation Premium Stainless Steel 24 Bottle Dual Zone Thermoelectric Wine Cooler/Chiller Counter Top Red & White Wine Cellar w/Digital Temperature, Freestanding Refrigerator Quiet Operation Fridge
$1,139.00
Price not available
Price not available
$189.26
Price not available
EdgeStar 36 Bottle Built-in Wine Fridge
EdgeStar CWR362FD 24 Inch Wide 36 Bottle Built-In Wine Cooler with Dual Cooling Zones
$1,139.00
Deco 7 Bottle Thermoelectric Wine Fridge
Deco 7 Bottles Thermoelectric Built-in/Freestanding Wine Cooler
Price not available
Antarctic Star Wine Cooler 
Antarctic Star Wine Cooler Refrigerator Fridge 37 Bottles Single Zone Wine Cellar Freestanding Wine Chiller with Stainless Steel & Double-Layer Glass Door/Digital Memory Temperature Control Silver
Price not available
Frigidaire FRW122d Wine Fridge
Hamilton Beach, 22-Bottle Wine and Beverage Cooler
$189.26
Ivation Premium Dual Zone Wine Fridge 
Ivation Premium Stainless Steel 24 Bottle Dual Zone Thermoelectric Wine Cooler/Chiller Counter Top Red & White Wine Cellar w/Digital Temperature, Freestanding Refrigerator Quiet Operation Fridge
Price not available

After taking the chance to look at a selection of wine fridges of different sizes and functionality, I’ve chosen a personal winner for my overall favorite wine fridge. Based on style, features, and form I’d definitely go with the Ivation stainless steel dual zone wine fridge. It offers a number of options with sturdy and practical wood shelves. Humidity and temperature control allows two compartments to be kept at stable relative temperatures perfect for warding off unwanted premature aging of my beloved wines. 

It looks nice on just about any surface, with an attractive modern design. It really gives off the impression of being a dedicated wine storage solution. It’s that’s great for wine parties and personal use as well. If you’re looking for an all around capable and serviceable wine fridge I’d strongly recommend the Ivation unit as a top contender. 

See also: These reviews of the best aerators will help you get the most out of the best red wines in your wine fridge!

In Conclusion

Don’t forget to take value and practicality into consideration. How much bottle capacity do you really need for your home? What kind of space do you need the unit to fit comfortably in? Does it offer enough climate control features to take care of the wines you treasure the most? These are some of the questions you should review before making your final decision. 

Thanks for taking the time to read my reviews of these wine fridges! Have you previously owned a wine fridge or cooler, and if so how did you like it? If you’ve gained any valuable perspective from these reviews be sure to take a second to share. So you can equip other wine enthusiasts with some helpful words of wisdom! 

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