I’m glad to say I’m not old enough to explain when wine coolers first came on to the market (apologies to all of you that are), so I can’t set about telling you the history of how and when they came about. But, that’s not what this page on our website is here for anyway. What you will learn in the following few words is what types of wine cooler are available, and I hope this goes to some way in helping you make a decision over which products will best suit you.
Counter-Top Coolers
These are perfect for those of you that don’t have a large amount of floor space to spare, and they’re also a really good idea if you’re someone who tends to drink your wine instead of collecting it.
For obvious reasons counter-top wine coolers are pretty compact in that most models will allow you to store anything from 4 – 24 bottles of wine.
Of course, they do come in various sizes depending on what your needs are, however, it’s always a good idea to make sure you decide on a space for your cooler and MEASURE it before you make a decision on which one you would like.
This type of cooler usually needs some form of ventilation so make sure you check you have space for that as well.
Built-In Coolers
These are ideal for people who, again, don’t want to take up valuable floor space. However, they are the most expensive type you can buy. Part of the reason for this is they have to be designed so they don’t need ventilation around them.
You should never buy a wine cooler you intend to install in a cabinet space unless it’s specified by the manufacturer that this is possible. If you do, you’ll end up with all sorts of problems on your hands, not to mention a completely ruined collection of wine! You should also think about the cost implications you may come across if you need to create a space for a built-in wine cooler.
If you like, you can start reading our built-in wine cooler reviews.
Free-Standing Coolers
These are also very popular and they’re probably more around the middle of the price range. Again, this depends on what your needs are.
This type of wine cooler also comes in many sizes, however, you do have to think about the amount of floor space you will lose as a result. Having said that, there are plenty of free-standing wine coolers to browse through on our website that are actually more compact than you might think.
The other benefit to a free-standing wine cooler is that you have the option to place it pretty much anywhere you would like in your home.
Single Zone and Dual Zone Coolers
You may also want to think about whether you need one or two temperature zones, but more information about that can be found out on our information page Single Zone vs Dual Zone Wine coolers.
Or you can start reading our reviews:
Single Zone Wine Coolers
Dual Zone Wine Coolers
Of course, there are a few other things to consider when you’re looking at the type of wine cooler that will suit you best.
Compressor based models, for instance, tend to be noisier than those that use, say, thermo-electric cooling (see the noise factor for more information). And you may also want to look into the possible wine cooler options before you make a decision.
Just take your time and browse around, that’s what this site is for.