Wine Cooler 4 U Blog

Selecting, Buying and Maintaining a Wine Cooler (This image links to our Internet wine cooler store)

Introduction

This Guide is your source of complete information about wine cooling appliances, otherwise known as wine coolers, wine refrigerators, wine cabinets and wine fridges.  It replaces the buying guide that used to be on our internet store at WineCooler4U.com.

Since June 2010, when we started this blog, we have posted items regarding every aspect of selecting, buying and maintaining a wine cooler.  This Guide consolidates and organizes all of the prior Posts into an easy-to-use online reference.

WineCooler4UBlog.com is our information site, offering a wide array of informative topics, many serious topics about the subject of buying and maintaining a wine cooler.

But, not everything we do is focused on wine coolers. Other topics are more fun  -  like how to open a bottle of wine with your shoe, and how to perform “savage”, the art of opening a champagne bottle with your sword.  Links to many of the less serious items, interesting notes and ideas about wine can be found in the post entitled, “Wine Fun Stuff” published in February 2011.

The list of topics included in this Post appear down the page a little ways.

A Product Section is also included containing descriptions of some of the products offered on our website at http://www.winecooler4u.com.

Starting here will give you a quick view of the companies whose products are most often ordered by our customers.

• Which are the Most Popular Wine Cooler Manufacturers?

The links below will take you to the topic within this page.

• General Considerations of a Wine Cooler Purchase
• Buying a Wine Cooling Appliance
• Topics Related To a Wine Cooler Purchase
• Products
• Maintaining and Moving Your Wine Cooler
• Why You Should Buy A Wine Cooler from WineCooler4U.com

• Why Buy a Wine Cooler?
• Demographic profile of a wine refrigerator owner
• Choices on Wine Cooler Brands – Be Informed
• Buy a Bigger Wine Cooler Than You Think You Need
• Remodeling Your Kitchen? How About a Wine Refrigerator to Replace the Trash Compactor?
• In the Perfect World, Wine Bottles Would Not be Exposed to Light Or Vibration

This section explains the various aspects of a wine cooler. In most cases the items are presented as generic.  In other cases, an item is described in the context of a specific brand, since some material was obtained from the manufacturer.  In most cases the information may be applied to all manufacturers’ products.

• What Is a Wine Cooler, Refrigerator, Chiller, Cellar, Storage?
• How Much Will I Have to Pay for a Basic Wine Cooler?
• Choices on Wine Cooler Brands – Be Informed
• Should I Choose a Wooden or Metal Wine Cooler?
• Wine Cooler Cooling Methods – Comparisons of the most common methods of cooling a wine cabinet are discussed.  Sometimes you will read about a wine cooler that uses a combination of these methods.
• Vinotemp Wooden Wine Cabinets – Glass Doors
• Vinotemp Wooden Wine Cabinets – Cooling
• Vinotemp Wooden Wine Cabinets – Venting
• Vinotemp Wooden Wine Cabinets – Racking
• Vinotemp Wooden Wine Cabinets – Hinges
• Vinotemp Wooden Wine Cabinets – Construction
• Vinotemp Wooden Wine Cabinets – Insulation – R Factor
• Vinotemp Wooden Wine Cabinets – Woods & Stains
• Choosing the Right Cooling System for Your Wooden Wine Cabinet
• More on Wine Drinking & Storage Temperatures
• Wine Cooler Shelves – Fixed & Sliding
• Do You Need Your Wine Cooler Door to Open on the Left?
• Types of Wine Coolers
• Wines Don’t Like Light or Vibration

This section contains items that are related to one or more of the other sections but do not fit the scope of the sections.

• I Have Decided to Buy a Wine Cooler. What Do I Do Next?
• Do you know about wine bottle sizes?
• Wine Bottles – Big and Small
• Should I Buy a Large Wine Cooler
• Buy Wine You Never Heard of Before for Your Wine Cabinet
• Storing Your Vintage Varietals
• Preserving Your Potent Potables
• Why The Temperature in Your Wine Cooler Varies?
• Should I be Concerned About the Humidity in My Wine Cooler?
• How Cold Should I Keep My Wine?
• The Day After – Tasting a Wine The Day After The Visit to The Winery
• Keep You Best Wines in a Wine Cooler
• Placement & Installation of Your Wine Cooler
• Who Better to Tell Us How to Wash Our Wine Glasses? Riedel, of Course
• I Have Ordered My Wine Cooler. What’s Next?

This section presents some of our more popular or unique products.

• >100 Bottle Wine Refrigeration – Avanti 166 Bottle Wine Cooler
• >100 Bottle Wine Refrigeration – Avanti 149 Bottle; Dual Zone

Cavavin

• Cavavin Majestika Wine Cellars – Basic Characteristics
• Cavavin Majestika Wooden Wine Cellars Available from WineCooler4U.com
• Cavavin 93 Bottle Majestika Metal Wine Cellar
• Majestika Wine Cellars – Elegance, Options + Capacity and Dimensions

Danby

• >100 Bottle Wine Refrigeration – Danby 166 Bottle Silhoette Executive Wine Cooler
• Wine Cooler Work Horse – Danby 75 Bottles

Vinotemp

• What’s New & Hot With Wine Cooling at Vinotemp!
• Most popular Vinotemp wine coolers
• Does Vinotemp Have a Wine Refrigerator for Me?
• Vinotemp Wooden Wine Cabinets
• Vinotemp International – Manufacturers of Fine Wine Coolers
• Vinotemp Portofino Series Wine Coolers – Part 1: Napa1 & Napa2
• Vinotemp Portofino Series Wine Coolers – Part 2: Rioja1, Rioja2 & Rioja4
• Vinotemp Portofino Series Wooden Wine Coolers – Bordeaux1, Bordeaux2C, Bordeaux2H, Bordeaux3
• Vinotemp 100 Series Economy Wine Cabinet – 80 Bottles
• Vinotemp Sonoma Series Wine Cabinets

Why You Should Buy Your Wine Cooler From Winecooler4u.Com

• Eleven Reasons to Buy a Wine Refrigerator from WineCooler4U
• WineCooler4U.com Testimonials

Maintaining And Moving Your Wine Cooler

• What Should I Know About Shutting Down My Wine Cooler?
• Cleaning Your Wine Cooler
• Wine Cooler Power Pointers
• Using an Extension Cord with Your Wine Cooler
• Moving Your Wine Cooler
• Cleaning Your Wine Cooler

Vinotemp VT-CAVE-G 267 Bottle Wine Cooler

Comparisons of the most common methods of cooling a wine cabinet are discussed.  Sometimes you will read about a wine cooler that uses a combination of these methods.

Thermoelectric

• Operating Characteristics – silent, vibration-free, lower electricity use than compressor models.
• How It Works – The cooling effect results from passing electricity through two different connected metal conductors.  One side of the device gets cool, the other side hot. Air is passed over the cool side and into the cabinet.  The air then passes over the hot side to dissipate the heat.
• Moving Parts -   One moving part; an electric fan
• Complexity – Multiple and complicated.
• Maintenance – Almost none.  A screw driver is used to replace the fan/motor.
• Safety  – If the cover is not removed there is no safety issue.
• Noise – Almost silent (small fan/motor).  You will hear some motor and fan noise in a quiet room.
• Wine Cooler Sizes – less than 50 bottles.

Compressor

• Operating Characteristics – some noise (same as refrigerator), and generates vibration.
• How It Works – This is the same cooling method as used in your kitchen refrigerator.
• Complexity – Multiple and complicated.
• Maintenance – These units require trained mechanics and special service equipment to service them when they fail.
• Safety  -  Contains Freon or other CFC-s or HCFC-s (an abbreviation for chlorofluorocarbons, carbohydrogens containing chlorine or fluorine), hazardous materials that are responsible for the thinning of the ozone layer in the air.    Though rare, compressor systems can leak refrigerant, which can be dangerous, especially if heated.
• Noise – Think about your refrigerator. Makes noticeable sounds in a quiet environment.
• Wine Cooler Sizes – all sizes

Heat Pipe

• Operating Characteristics – silent and vibration-free, as little as 1/10 the operating cost of a compressor.
• How It Works – At the hot interface within a heat pipe, which is typically at a very low pressure, a liquid in contact with a thermally conductive solid surface turns into a vapor by absorbing the heat of that surface. The vapor condenses back into a liquid at the cold interface, releasing the latent heat. The liquid then returns to the hot interface through either capillary action or gravity action where it evaporates once more and repeats the cycle.
• Complexity – At most, one moving part, a fan. The rest of the unit is self contained.
• Maintenance – Maintenance would be rare and only if the unit leaked its operating fluid.
• Safety  -  Not an issue.
• Noise – Almost silent (small fan/motor).  You will hear some motor and fan noise in a quiet room; if it has one.
• Wine Cooler Sizes – less than 30 bottles.

Cavavin Majestika 099 Bottle Wine Cellar

One might wonder why one would not use their Cavavin wine cooler (or any other brand).  But, that is for another blog post.

If you wine cooler will not be used for any extended period of time, shut it off, remove all items and unplug the power cord.  Clean and dry the interior thoroughly.  To prevent mold growth, leave the doors open slightly, blocking them open if necessary.

Sooner or later, you are going to experience a wine spill inside your wine refrigerator. Whenever you find the telltale evidence of a spill clean it ASAP.  Wipe the wine from the shelves with a damp cloth, removing them if necessary.  If the shelf is significantly wetted during cleaning let it dry before replacing it. Wipe soiled bottles below the one that leaked and pay attention to the lower door sill area and the cabinet bottom.  Inspect the door gasket for wine, particularly at the bottom.  Check the door glass for wine.  And finally deal with the spill source.  We don’t always finish a bottle at a sitting and it finds its way back to the cooler.  Our experience has been that all of our spills have been the result of loose-fitting and/or failed closures, typically of the type with the “push over lever”.  Throw it away. One last thing. Don’t forget to check the floor under the door for more wine.

For a general cleaning the following procedure is offered.

1. Turn the temperature controls to minimum, unplug the appliance, and remove all items including the shelves.
2. Wash the inside surfaces with a warm water and baking soda solution.  The solution should be about 2 tablespoons of baking soda to a quart of water.
3. Wash the shelves with mild detergent solution.
4. Wipe the outside of the cabinet with a soft cloth.  A stainless steel cleaner will help for the stainless cabinets. A one-to-one mixture of water and vinegar can be used to clean dirt and grease from your wooden cabinet.  Beyond that use the same products you use for your furniture care.
5. The drip tray catches any condensation created by the unit and must be checked and cleaned regularly.

UV light is beyond the violet to the right and is not visible to humans

All light and particularly UV light (sunlight) can damage your wine collection.  UV light is so named because the spectrum consists of electromagnetic waves with frequencies higher than those that humans identify as the color violet and is invisible to the human eye. It is common for wine coolers to use UV protected glass in cabinet doors.

Considering that your wine is subject to degradation from all light; even the traditional green bottle, keeping your wines in a solid-door wine cabinet is the best solution for their long term protection from light.  The next best would be the UV door glass.  In all cases keep the wine cabinet in a place that does not expose it to heat and sunlight.

Vinotemp 240 Bottle Reserve 350-Model Wine Cabinet with Front Exhaust

Vinotemp Economy, Reserve, and Sonoma wooden wine cabinets feature custom Wine-Mate cooling systems that use electronic temperature control and have digital displays, thereby allowing you to precisely set the desired temperature inside your wine cabinet. Wine-Mate cooling systems are forced-air systems (as opposed to cold wall cooling systems). Forced air cooling units generally have lower temperature fluctuations and higher humidity levels than cold wall systems. They also tend to have less maintenance needs.

Made in the USA, Wine-Mate was the first UL-approved cooling unit for wine cabinets on the market. UL is the trusted source across the globe for product compliance. A UL symbol gives you reassurance, that the electrical inspectors approved the design of your unit.

Vinotemp 192 Bottle Sonoma LUX-296 Credenza Wine Cabinet

Unlike most of the competition, Vinotemp wooden wine cabinets can be configured to your exact needs. Wine cabinets need clearance space in whatever direction the exhaust is venting (either side, top, rear or front).  The rear exhaust wine cabinets require at least six inches of space between the wall and the wine cabinet in order for the cooling system to operate properly. Top-vent cooling systems need 10-12 inches of clearance above the cabinet. The front-venting wine cabinets can be completely built in with beautiful hand made wood louvers then the back of the cabinet can be placed right up against the wall. Any Vinotemp cabinet can easily be ordered to vent from the rear, top, sides or front to best accommodate the environment you need it for. With Vinotemp, you have the choice!

Vinotemp Economy Series Wine Cabinet - Example of Wood and Metal Cellar Trellis Racking

Vinotemp offers three choices of wine racking for its wooden wine cabinets: all Redwood, cellar trellis (redwood and powder coated metal), or wood and aluminum racking. None of the racking choices is glued.

Standard wood and aluminum racking comes standard for the Economy Series, Redwood and aluminum for our Reserve Series, and all Redwood for the Sonoma Series. Vinotemp has been manufacturing these racks for over 20 years. The Cellar Trellis racks have prevented many bottles from breaking during California earthquakes. The bottles rest on the wood in these cellar trellis cubicles. It should also be noted that upgrading to all-Redwood racking reduces the capacity if bottle capacity is a concern. Any Vinotemp cabinet can be customized to the type of racking you desire.

Cubicle racking comes in a variety of sizes. Universal racking with 3 3/4-inch cubicles will hold most sizes of wine bottle; most Vinotemp cabinets come standard with universal racking. For maximum storage capacity, the traditional 3 3/8 size is also available. However, with new vineyards and odd bottle sizes we recommend the larger size (3 3/4) or even 4 inch racking for those with a lot of champagne storage needs. Unlike most of their competitors, Vinotemp racking can be customized specifically for your storage needs. If desired, Vinotemp will design your cabinet with three different sections each with its own cubicle size. Also, the very top of the cabinet can be useful for miscellaneous bottles, boxed champagne, fine chocolates, cigars or whatever else you can think of.

Vinotemp wood racks are constructed from unsealed wood which is preferred inside wine cabinets because wood sealing agents can damage the wine. The first choice in the type of wood that should be used inside a wine cabinet is Redwood. Redwood is rare and now very expensive to the manufacturer, so you will see it being used less and less by other wine cabinet manufacturers. Vinotemp’s Economy Series racking uses woods that are similar to the qualities of Redwood which is a mildew resistant unfinished soft wood.

Vinotemp Reserve Series Concord 224 Bottle Wine Cabinet from WineCooler4U.com

Vinotemp is the only company that offers both continuous (or piano) hinges and refrigerator hinges for its wooden wine cabinets. Continuous hinges are very effective in sealing the door. The workmanship for assembling a continuous hinge is more time consuming . Refrigerator hinges have similar costs for the manufacturer, and are also available, but the continuous hinge is more reliable. We are able install the hinges seamless or invisible as an option to show no sign of either a piano or refrigerator hinge.

While most units use continuous hinges, Vinotemp uses refrigerator hinges made of steel on its Sonoma Series of cabinets. This is an option on other units if you so choose.

Vinotemp "Louis NAPA" 400 Bottle Wooden Wine Cabinet

Vinotemp 500 Bottle "Louis" from WineCooler4U.com

The materials Vinotemp uses in building and finishing its wine cabinets are the best in the industry in every category, and the units age well over time. For example, the “Louis” unit is easily mistaken for an “antique.” Vinotemp has more than 20 years in the business, has distributed over 250,000 units to happy customers, and experiences many repeat customers and referrals. WineCooler4U.com proudly supports the sales of Vinotemp wooden wine cabinets.

The better your wine cabinet is insulated and sealed, the more years of trouble-free operation your cooling system will provide. It is also important to have proper ventilation and to clean out any dust build up on a regular basis.

Vinotemp’s Economy Series of cabinets is perfect if you’re on a budget while the Reserve Series are great for placement in very visible locations of the home.  The Sonoma Series makes a beautiful showpiece. The glass door units include double-paned glass which can artistically display your wine while protecting it, with better insulation and UV protection.

Most Vinotemp wine cabinets are constructed from white oak wood, glass and insulation materials. Standard features include premium wood, hardwood door trims, double-pane tinted glass windows, the quality insulation, and sealed seams throughout the wine cabinet.