The best wine coolers are a great addition to any kitchen, keeping your best bottles and vintages at the right temperature in style.
Choosing the best wine cooler for your space can be overwhelming due to the sheer amount of options out there. Thankfully, we've rounded up the very best products out there to suit a range of needs, kitchens and budgets so you can find the perfect fit for you.
First, you'll want to consider what kind of capacity you want your wine cooler to have: some will accommodate over 50 bottles, while others are just large enough to fit six. You'll also want to think about whether you want a freestanding, built-in, or countertop appliance to store your wine.
Unlike standard side-by-side refrigerators or the best mini fridges, wine coolers are built to store bottles of wine at the right temperature. They also have built-in racks to support the bottles without damaging them or their labels.
To choose the right fridge for you, you'll want to consider the types of wine you want to store: if it's just white or just red, you can go for a single-zone wine fridge. These fridges maintain a unique temperature throughout that's optimal for the type of wine you're storing. However, if you're after a place to store more than one type of wine, you'll want to invest in a dual-zone fridge to adapt the temperatures to suit them.
The best wine coolers we recommend
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While we haven't been able to test any of the units in this guide in person, we've instead honed in on top-rated brands and used our knowledge of the best features to help you make the right decision for your home, all for the best price.
The best wine cooler overall
If you love wine and you like to store a lot of it, the Phiestina PH-29BD is the model for you. This wine cooler can store up to 29 bottles of wine across its two compartments. With dual cooling, this is a great option for anyone that loves all types of wine.
The Phiestina PH-29BD isn’t cheap, in fact, it’s one of the most expensive models we reviewed, but for what you pay, you’re getting a dual-zone cooler and a large capacity. This wine fridge looks the part too, with robust shelving finished in stainless steel to create a stylish finish.
You can change the door swing direction on this wine cooler and you’ll have the flexibility of either having it as a freestanding unit or built into a cabinet but you will need to leave a little bit of space for ventilation.
There’s a good temperature range on the Phiestina PH-29BD, but it’s worth noting that its sides aren’t finished in the same stainless steel as the front. Some users also found that they struggled to fit 29 bottles of wine in this unit too.
The best large wine cooler
The Kalamera KRC30SZB is the largest wine cooler in our round up with the space to store 39 bottles of wine. Finished in stainless steel with a long handle, the Kalamera KRC30SZB looks high-end but isn’t actually as expensive as some of the other options we reviewed.
Ideal for those that want a built-in wine cooler, the Kalamera KRC30SZB is a great option for family homes as it’s fitted with a door lock to prevent any little ones from getting at your prized wine collection. This is also one of the only wine fridges we reviewed that featured wooden shelves - a nice finish that makes this cooler look expensive.
If you love both red and white wine though, this wine cooler may not be for you. That’s because it’s a single-zone cooler so you will have to set the temperature for the entire fridge, rather than being able to choose two different temperatures.
Some users found that fitting 30 bottles of wine in this cooler was a struggle. However, this cooler operates quietly and the child lock is a nice addition that not all wine coolers have.
The best value wine cooler
The NutriChef PKCWC120 is available in a choice of two finishes, one is black, the other is stainless steel. Whichever is more to your taste, this wine cooler looks smart and has been designed to be used as a freestanding wine cooler.
That means you won’t be able to install this cooler in a cabinet, despite its small size. The NutriChef PKCWC120 does have a wide temperature range so that you can select exactly what you want based on the type of wine you’re storing.
The NutriChef PKCWC120 is a single zone cooler, however, so you won’t be able to choose a different temperature for different varieties of wine. The controls on this fridge are touch controls, and a digital display indicates the temperature that the cooler is set at.
Looking sleek and stylish from the front, the NutriChef PKCWC120’s air vent is at the back of the unit which is why this wine cooler can’t be stored inside a cabinet. What this does mean, however, is that the front of the cooler doesn’t feature any unsightly vents.
The best extra large wine cooler
The Bodega JC-145A wine cooler is big enough to fit up to 52 bottles of wine, which will suit wine enthusiasts with large collections. It's 24 inches wide and can either be built-in or freestanding. It also has adjustable feet so you can make sure the fridge is placed in a safe position in your kitchen.
It's got a sleek design with a stainless steel door and wooden shelves, complete with a blue internal LED light. The double layered glass door protects the bottles inside the fridge from sunrays and helps keep the temperature constant. UV rays from the sun accelerate oxidation which affects the quality of the wine, so this added protection keeps your bottles safe.
The wine cooler has a built-in circulating air cooling system so cold air is delivered to ever corner of the appliance without any frosting. The temperature can be adjusted between 41 and 68 degrees Farenheit, which will suit any type of wine.
If you're concerned about children or unwanted hands getting into your wine collection, fear not - the Bodega wine cooler has a safety lock built-in with two keys included.
The best mini wine cooler
The Black+Decker BD60316 wine cooler can be set up as a countertop appliance or as a freestanding one. It's ideal for wine enthusiasts with smaller kitchens who still want to keep their bottles safe and at the optimal temperature.
It fits up to six bottles, although you can upgrade to a model that can fit eight or 12 bottles. It's a single-zone so it's best if you're looking to store either white or red wine, but the temperature can be adjusted between 46 and 65 degrees Farenheit so it will suit any type of wine you choose to store in it.
This compact appliance has a triple-pane glass door to maintain a consistent temperature inside the cooler. It also means it's more energy efficient and really quiet, so it's perfect for even smaller places. You can choose to order the Black+Decker BD60316 with a clear glass door or a mirrored one, depending on what best suits your style.
The best budget wine cooler
If you need a large wine cooler but don’t want to pay a fortune for it, the Antarctic INAS90 Wine Cooler is a good choice. This model can hold up to 26 bottles of wine and it’s suitable for storing other beverages too.
The Antarctic INAS90 Wine Cooler is a single zone model and is fairly basic in that it’s fitted with wire shelving, rather than slide-out drawers. Plus, because this cooler is a single zone appliance, you won’t be able to choose a different temperature for different types of wine.
If you’re looking for a freestanding wine cooler suitable for a theater room, the Antarctic INAS90 is a great choice. It’s quick and easy to install and it operates quietly so it won’t be a nuisance when you’re trying to watch a movie.
The Antarctic INAS90, unfortunately, doesn’t have a child lock and its controls are a simple dial system, so it won’t win any awards for the fanciest design.
How to choose the best best wine cooler for your home
If you're looking to buy your first wine cooler, we've rounded up some buying advice so you can make the right choice for you.
Temperature
The right temperature depends on the type of wine you're chilling – red and white wines need to be stored at different temperatures. If you want to store both types at the same time, you need a dual-zone wine refrigerator. These models have two areas and can maintain a different temperature in each. However, if you chill only one type of wine, a single-zone cooler is a more economical option.
For red wine, it is best to keep your wine cooler between 50 degrees and 65 degrees Fahrenheit. White wine should be chilled between 41 degrees and 50 degrees Fahrenheit, with 46 degrees being the optimal temperature if you’re storing both sweet and dry varieties. This is warmer than a standard refrigerator, which is kept between 32 degrees and 40 degrees to keep food from spoiling.
Size
Wine fridges come in a variety of sizes – some can hold as few as six bottles and others as many as 100. If you have a wine cellar, you probably only need a small cooler to chill a few bottles to have ready for guests.
You should also consider the size of the bottles you buy. A cooler's advertised capacity is the number of standard-size bottles that fit comfortably inside. A standard wine bottle is between 3 inches and 3 1/2 inches around (diameter) and 12 inches tall. If you need to store a larger bottle, you can take out a shelf or two and stand it upright in the cooler.
Compressor vs thermoelectric cooling system
There are two big differences between a compressor and a thermoelectric cooling system: energy usage and noise. There are also some differences with the temperatures they can reach – wine coolers with compressors get much colder, so they better accommodate sweet and sparkling wines. However, there are some thermoelectric wine fridges that are an exception to this rule and can get cold enough to chill these varieties of white wines as well.
As far as noise, you can expect a wine cooler with a compressor to make some noise while it runs. It typically isn’t loud enough to interrupt a conversation, but it’s still noticeable. Thermoelectric coolers are much quieter, sometimes running nearly silent.
For energy usage, thermoelectric cooling systems don’t have as many moving parts like compressors, so they don’t use as much energy to cool your wine. As such, they also cost less to run.
