The United States of America produces over 800 million gallons of wine every year. Odds are, if you’re reading this article, you’ve bought your fair share of these gallons yourself.
The question is, where do you store them?
A wine cellar? A wine cooler? Or your regular refrigerator in your kitchen?
Well, we think a wine fridge is your best bet, and here are seven reasons why.
- A Wine Fridge Ensures Consistent Temperatures
Wine fridges are designed specifically to keep your wine within their ideal temperatures. This is between 50 to 59 degrees Fahrenheit.
As a wine connoisseur (or self-proclaimed connoisseur) you’ll know that temperature is key to prolonged wine storage. This is precisely why it’s a better choice than your regular refrigerator.
Regular groceries like milk, veggies, and meats have completely different requirements than your average bottle of wine. In fact, you would probably like to change these temperatures from time to time depending on what you’ve got to store.
Now picture catering to the drastically different needs of a wine bottle as well. Instead, a wine fridge is great for providing your wine with the consistent temperatures it needs to age.
- Staying Clear From Natural Light
When natural light interacts with the compounds in your wine the cause “wine faults”. UV rays from fluorescent light can also break down compounds in your wine and affect the aging process.
In a nutshell, natural and incandescent light is your wine’s worst enemy. Even though most wine bottles are tinted or come in darker shades, it’s still not enough protection against outside sources of light.
Wine fridges come with in-built protection against all outside sources of light, allowing your wine the dark environment it needs.
- A Vibration Free Environment
Your wine also needs a movement and vibration-free environment to rest in. Unfortunately, your conventional refrigerator also comes with a compressor. These compressors, along with their continued vibrations disturb the natural process of aging.
Consistent movement can trigger small chemical reactions within the wine that wouldn’t have otherwise occurred in a peaceful, disturbance-free environment. You may not notice these during the process itself, but you will definitely sense the difference when you open up that bottle for a taste!
In contrast, a wine fridge provides a safe space with minimal or no vibrations allowing the wine to mature in the right temperatures.
- Storing and Aging in Peace
What’s the point of investing in an exquisite bottle of wine from https://www.cwspirits.com just to throw it in with the milk? Doesn’t make sense, does it?
Wine requires a dedicated space that allows it to age and mature gracefully, quietly, and peacefully with minimal disturbance from the outside world. Stay clear of accidental knocks, shakes, and wobbles as someone gracelessly slams the refrigerator door.
A specialized fridge comes with dedicated slots for each of your bottles keeping them secure and in place. You don’t have to consistently disturb the process every time you open the door.
- An Affordable Alternative to Wine Cellars
A wine cellar can cost anywhere between $15000 to $62000. In contrast, you could get a decent wine fridge for under $2000 to achieve almost the same results.
Of course, the cost will depend on the number of bottles you want to store and the kind of features you expect, but even at the higher end, you’re still looking at great results within $10000.
If you’re looking at short-term or medium-term storage, the benefits of a wine fridge far outweigh the benefits of a wine cellar. Once you factor in budget, there’s simply no contest.
- Convenience and Accessibility
A wine fridge is simply more convenient. You can move it around easily when needed, and it offers great portability, unlike a kitchen refrigerator. Most of these don’t take up a lot of space either.
You can easily find a space for your fridge within your kitchen or another room without having to worry too much. You can open your fridge when you need to access a bottle, but otherwise, your space will be relatively undisturbed by the outside world.
You also have the option of under-the-counter wine fridges which can be a trendy new addition to your kitchen space.
- Achieve Ideal Humidity
Wine requires humidity of 50 to 70 percent to facilitate proper aging. Higher humidity levels can give rise to mold (who wants that?) and disturb the chemical process. On the other end of the spectrum, lower humidity will likely dry out the cork in your bottle.
Wine fridges come with pre-installed vapor barriers and generators that keep your wine in the ideal temperatures for the aging process. Even in a wine cellar, you would need a humidifier to ensure that these levels are in check.
That’s what makes a wine fridge such a convenient and efficient choice for storing and preserving your wine in style!
To Buy or Not to Buy: The Final Verdict
If you’re relatively serious about your wine and looking for short to medium-term storage, we think a wine fridge is a good way to go. It’s affordable, convenient, and specifically designed to keep your wine safe from its worst enemies.
If your budget doesn’t meet the needs of a wine cellar, a wine refrigerator definitely will. So do your research, read reviews, and find one that suits your needs. In these trying times, there are few things that are still good and wine is one of them.
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Image Credits: Biljana Martinic
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