Differences Between Wine Fridges and Wine Cellars
If you are a true wine lover, you want to buy a wine cooler or a wine cellar. However, how your wine bottles are stored is just as important as the type of wine contained in these bottles. While a wine fridge and a wine cellar have their differences seeing that a wine fridge requires wine cooler cabinet space and a wine cellar requires an entire basement room, how do you determine which one is better for you? Investing in either a wine fridge or a wine cellar will evaluate how your conditioned wine tastes and is determined the type of wine collection you have.
What Is A Wine Fridge?
A wine fridge is a home appliance that stores your entire wine collection at a constant temperature of 13 degrees celsius, which prevents wine flavours from spoiling from the warmth and keeps the cold from prolonging the wine’s ageing process. Wine fridges get manufactured in various sizes, including freestanding you can place alongside your standard kitchen refrigerator or dining room and under-the-counter measures for fully integrated and built-in wine fridges. The significant difference between a wine fridge and a wine cellar is that a wine fridge can function at various temperatures to suit smaller wine collections. Additionally, unlike wine cellars, wine fridges can maintain wine in single and dual temperature zones that allow red and whites to simultaneously cool at their required temperatures.
What Is A Wine Cellar?
A wine cellar is a room turned into an ideal environment for wine that is entirely climate-controlled for a more extensive wine collection and can be considered superior to wine fridges. Wine cellars are usually constructed in the basement of a home and from stone and brick with dirt. Additionally, a wine cellar allows the wine to be stored for over five years. Furthermore, humidity is vital for your wine cellar’s long-term storage to maintain attainably durability by preventing your bottle corks from drying out and shrinking. Moreover, when your wine cellar holds proper humidity levels, oxidation does mix with the wine in the bottle and ruin your ageing wines.
Wine Fridge Or Wine Cellar: Which Is Better?
It is always to consider and weigh out the advantages and disadvantages of purchasing a wine fridge or installing a wine cellar. A few pros of a wine fridge include keeping your wines and customisable temperatures with controls, portability allows you to place it in various spaces around your home, and it comes at multiple brands and prices. However, whereas the cons of wine fridges limit your ability to grow your wine collection at an ample amount, it does not store your wines for more than five years. In addition, it does not accommodate for sunlight, odours, and vibrations, which spoil your wines and may also malfunction in warmer temperatures.
On the other hand, a wine cellar’s benefits are that it provides you with the environment for long-term wine storage, it can accommodate diverse wine collections, it has a controlled climate environment, you have a few options for your customisation, and you can organise your wine by type, region, grape variety, peak ageing, and price. However, a wine cellar has its cons, such as the location not always being easily accessible and express cooling for serving guests. Moreover, it is not as budget-friendly when your basement location does not have the naturally required storing conditions.