4 Questions to Ask Before Buying a Wine Fridge

So, you’ve finally decided to take the plunge and invest in that highly-esteemed wine fridge like a true connoisseur. Good for you. However, before settling on the first wine fridge to land on your radar, it’s a good idea to do your research and make sure your purchase is one that will last.

To help you out, here are four key questions you should ask yourself before embarking on your wine fridge shopping adventure.

1. What is your budget?

This seems like a pretty obvious question, but the amount of cash you’re willing to fork out on your latest investment will inevitably narrow down your choices. Decide on a reasonable budget from the outset to help guide you through the selection process.

2. What kind of space are you working with?

This is a biggie, and one that requires careful consideration. Deciding where your wine fridge will be installed will help you determine a number of factors:

Thermoelectric or compressor fridge?

Compressor

Compressor units use a refrigerant, much like your standard kitchen fridge. They can get down to lower temperatures (if keeping white wine cold), can handle higher ambient temperatures and may last a bit longer than the thermoelectric wine coolers. However, compressor units can be louder and heavier than their thermoelectric counter parts.

Thermoelectric

Thermoelectric units are extremely quiet and efficient, making them perfect for smaller spaces or living areas. While they will protect your wine, and are great for short term storage, they need a decent amount of clearance and may not function all that well in warmer ambient temperature environments, such as those that we experience during a typical Australian summer.

Free-standing or built-in?

A free-standing fridge will typically require generous amounts of room, while a built-in will slot nicely into your existing cabinetry or underneath your kitchen bench. Make sure you do your measurements to work out just what your space can accommodate for.

    Large or small capacity?

    From a compact 34 bottle capacity to over 640 bottles, determine how many bottles you need to store now and consider how your wine collection may grow in the future. In my experience, many wine collectors buy more wine once they find a wine storage solution so buy a larger fridge than you think you initially need.

        3. What’s more important to you – accessibility or storage?

          If you typically buy your wine in bulk, chances are you’ll want the storage space to be able to stack your bottles on top of one another. On the other hand, if you like to hand-select your wines, individual telescopic storage shelves might be the better solution – while this may limit the amount of wine you can keep in your fridge, it makes those elusive bottles easy to pinpoint and retrieve from their shelf.

            4. Do you plan on storing your whites and reds together?

              If you answered ‘yes’, then you’re best off investing in a dual or multi-zone wine fridge. These appliances allow you to keep your wines in the same fridge but within two or more separate temperature zones, keeping both your whites and reds at their respective optimal temperatures. Just be mindful of which type of wine you typically prefer – multi-zone fridges will often have a larger storage capacity for one type over the other.

               

              Grand Cru has a large range of high quality wine fridges to suit every budget and wine storage need.

              Visit our shop at www.grandcruwinefridges.com.au for expert advice, personalised service and Australia wide delivery.