Wine Refrigerators and Coolers

Want a hobby that will pay social dividends? Get into wine. Knowing about wine, talking about wine, opining about wine, and drinking wine (elegantly) are win-wins. Now, you can go overboard, be a snob about it, and then turn everyone off which will result in social shaming or worse. So, if you do choose to dive into the barrel, make sure you keep your ego in check. But with that said, educating yourself right will yield some serious social content that everyone will respect you for.

So now that you’ve decided to be the wine expert for your social circle, how does that play out? One can buy the wine, search online for which years and varieties rank the best, but then after you purchase you need to store these valuable grape concoctions. We know what you’re thinking – under my bed would be perfect for this! Yes, it is wasted space, but not apt for your budding wine collection. The number one enemy of wine is heat. Once wine is subject to temperatures exceeding 70 degrees Fahrenheit, the wine will start to cook. Aromas then go flat and flavors compromised. The ideal temperature for wine is 45 to 65 degrees Fahrenheit which means you need a cooler.

Many people store wine in the refrigerator, but the problem here is the average fridge falls below 45 degrees. This is too cold which also is not good for flavor and aroma. Hence the need for the cooler. Wine coolers are generally stand-alone units that maintain a constant temperature. Expensive units will feature multiple temperature zones, but for beginners this isn’t necessary. Most important is finding a unit that is quiet, keeps the wine at a constant temperature, and one that won’t have you fighting with your significant other because you spent more than you should have.

One of the more popular units on the market today is the Ivation Premium Stainless-Steel Cooler. This is a 12-bottle thermoelectric unit and listed at under $200 the Ivation is affordable and sleek at that! All bottles are chilled at the same temperature and the polyurethane heavy foam and Thermopane doors keep light and odors out. Another aesthetic plus here are the oak shelves which look great and will again communicate to guests that you are a connoisseur and as such smart, worldly, passionate and an all-around excellent human being.

The Phiestina Dual Zone Cooler marks that classic step up from the causal wine drinker to the one that is educating anyone in your path – significant other, gardener, accountant, the nice barista from your local Starbucks, they’re all fair game. After all, you’ve got a Phiestina so now is the time to shine, right? You bet, and this unit offers what the title suggests – two zones, two separate temp controls, and the reason being – white and red really should be cooled at separate temperatures. The two varieties have different molecular make-ups and with this bad boy you’ve got six racks that carry up to 33 bottles. Whatever you fancy and that of your guests, it’s all possible with the Phiestina.

You’ve got your wine game at a 100, so any of the two we’ve mentioned is an excellent first start. Just don’t annoy your entire social circle now