Which To Buy: Wine Cellar vs. Wine Refrigerator

So you have finally decided to take your love of wine to the next level. You have figured out that you buy enough of this delightful beverage to warrant a new storage system for it. The question then becomes do you want to buy a wine cellar cabinet or a wine refrigerator? Both are great ways to house your wine, but they are very different. Wine consumption in the United States is at an all time high right now, with more and more people investing in great varietals and exclusive vintages. So it’s essential to take care of the wine you buy. Ask yourself a few of these questions to decide what is right for your home.

What Kind Of Wine Do You Buy?

First of all, you should understand the how to store wine properly before you buy just any type of wine.

Are you a collector of fine wines that are meant to be aged for awhile before you drink them? Do you go to auctions to buy special unique vintages that cost hundreds, if not thousands of dollars? If you are the type of person who is able to invest significant money into the type of wines that you need to savor and protect then you need a wine cellar. A wine cellar is specifically meant to house and protect your wine from temperature and humidity changes so that it can mature in the proper environment for years. It’s estimated that 80% of wine is sold meant to be consumed right away. So if you are buying the 20% that meant to be aged, then you definitely need a wine cellar for your own collection. Plus a wine cellar can hold can hold up to 900 bottles of wine. Which is rather large, but will allow you to hold on to wines for 5, 10 or even 15 years for the exact right aging phase.

How Much Does The Wine You Buy Cost?

If you are one of those people who just like a nice glass of wine with your spouse at the end of a long hard day, and most of the bottles you open are $20 or less, then you probably just need a wine refrigerator. There are many different option to chose from that hold a different number of wine. Say you just need something on the small side that holds up to 20 bottles of wine? That’s an easy purchase. You can get some wine refrigerator to hold up to 260 bottles of wine, if you are one of those people that buys wine by the case for the extra discount in price. So there is a significant amount of storage that will keep your wines at the right temperature to drink.

How Much Space Do You Have?

Custom made wine refrigerators are meant to be installed in your kitchen, rec room, or bar area underneath a countertop or built into a cabinet. They are fairly good at fitting into spaces you already have. If you are going to invest in a wine cellar cabinet then you are going to need to have the room to house it. They are much bigger overall, and a basic medium capacity wine cellar like the Vinotemp 400E, that holds around 200 bottles is almost 7 feet tall. So clearly it’s going to take up a decent amount of space. It’s better suited for a basement or out of the way area, because it’s a big piece of furniture. Some of them are nice enough that you can fit it into a more visible area in your home as long as you have the space for it to have it on display.

What Is Your Budget?

If the sky’s the limit on what you want to spend then buy all means get a total wine cellar system. Wine refrigerators cost much less, so they are more affordable and can come in a variety of price ranges to fit into any budget. You can even find small refrigerators that can hold 6-18 bottles of wine. This is probably best for the person who drinks wine nightly, and buys more wine each week at the grocery store. You go through it often, and don’t have a collection or surplus at any time. At least the wine you do drink will be held at the perfect temperature to consume each day. If you are buying wines by the case from specific vineyards then you probably have the budget for a larger wine cellar cabinet. Wine can be an expensive hobby, but one that will provide you years of enjoyment.

So whichever system of wine storage you choose, make sure it will really give you what you need. It’s always better to overestimate the amount of wine storage you’ll need and have some empty space available to house more wine. You don’t want to end up with a medium sized space that completely full, so then the overflow goes into your regular refrigerator, sitting along side your groceries not aging at the right temperature.  Buying a little bigger than you think you’ll need will let you expand your collection a bit over time. Buying wine is fun, drinking it is even more fun so investing in the proper storage will allow you to enjoy your wine at it’s best.