Did you know white wine is the UK's favourite alcoholic beverage, with 21.8 per cent of people surveyed saying they consume it at least weekly?
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Wine is an established part of modern culture, whether sharing a bottle over dinner or having a glass of wine with friends.
As a result, wine coolers have increasingly become a staple appliance in homes, bars, and restaurants throughout the UK as the perfect way to store bottles.
But what is it about these appliances that make them ideal for housing wine, and exactly how does a wine cooler work?
Before we delve into the intricacies of how a wine cooler works, it's important first to establish what one is.
Wine coolers, also known as wine fridges, are specially designed appliances created to store and preserve bottles of wine at the perfect temperature.
These appliances differ from standard refrigerators in that they provide a controlled environment that is carefully optimised for the unique needs of wine.
Wine coolers are available in a wide variety of sizes and styles and come with a number of features to meet the user's needs.
Most wine coolers work using either a thermoelectric cooling system or a compressor cooling system.
Both of these work in a similar way to a regular refrigerator but with some key design differences tailored to the requirement of storing wine.
Thermoelectric cooling systems are often used in smaller tabletop wine coolers and can operate silently without moving parts.
The system transfers heat from the interiors of the wine cooler to the exterior to consistently cool and maintain the temperature of the internal environment.
Compressor cooling systems, on the other hand, are primarily used in larger, under-counter wine coolers. This system compresses and expands refrigerant gases to maintain the cool temperature inside the unit.
While it typically makes slightly more noise, it offers greater cooling capacity and keeps wine at the optimum temperature even with fluctuating exterior conditions.
With both operating systems, wine coolers are designed with sufficient insulation to minimise the effects of exterior heat and maintain the temperature inside.
Yes, wine coolers have temperature controls that can be adjusted, and most models will have a minimum temperature of 0°C, similar to a fridge.
However, in most instances, the optimal temperature for wine storage is between 7°C and 18°C, depending on the type of wine.
Most wine coolers sit comfortably at an ambient temperature of 10°C, which caters to a wide range of reds, whites and rosé bottles of wine.
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This specific temperature range helps to ensure that your wine collection ages gracefully and maintains its colour and flavour.
We offer a collection of modern, high-quality wine coolers to suit all customer styles, requirements and budgets.
At Home Feeling, we supply practical tabletop models as well as large capacity under-counter units that are sold with advanced features to keep your wine at the perfect temperature.
Our Willow-branded wine coolers have ample capacity, triple-glazed UV-resistant glass doors, and adjustable temperatures to ensure your wine is adequately preserved year-round.
If you are interested in learning more about our selection of wine coolers or have any questions, don't hesitate to contact our team today on or give us a call on .
Anyone who is serious about wine needs to have their own wine fridge. But choosing the right one can be difficult. Understanding how they work can help you to make that decision, and also give you some insight into exactly what you are buying.
Compressor Vs Electric
There are two types of wine fridge that you can buy today: the compressor type and the electric type. Each works a little differently and has its own advantages and drawbacks. Compressor wine fridges work in a similar way to a conventional fridge. Electric fridges are more common these days and are more popular than the compressor variety.
Compression Cooling
A compression cooler utilizes a special liquid called a refrigerant. The refrigerant is circulated around the back of the fridge using a compressor system. The compressor compresses the refrigerant, which is a gas, raising its temperature and pushing it through the metal coils on the back of the refrigerator. The hot refrigerant gas cools to the temperature of the kitchen, turns back into liquid refrigerant, and flows into the coils inside the fridge.
As the liquid refrigerant flows through the coils, it expands. The more surface area the refrigerant has, the more heat it can absorb from the surrounding air, cooling the interior of the fridge and raising the temperature of the refrigerant. It then flows back to the compressor to restart the process.
Thermoelectric Cooling
Thermoelectric coolers are more common today. Most residential wine fridges are electric, owing to their smaller size and quieter operation. A thermoelectric fridge utilizes something called the Peltier effect. The Peltier effect doesn't require any refrigerant or other chemicals, it works entirely by using electricity to exploit a natural phenomenon. Passing an electric charge through two pieces of metal that are joined together creates a transfer of heat from one side to the other, known as heat flux.
The hotter one side gets, the colder the other side gets. By attaching a heatsink to the hot side, heat can be dissipated more efficiently and so more heat can be drawn from the cold side, thus reducing the temperature further than would otherwise be possible. The heat sinks used in wine fridges are similar to the ones you'll find inside your computer. They consist of aluminum fins, which are efficient heat conductors, and a fan to provide further cooling and enable the fins to absorb more heat from the plate.
Choosing The Right One
Compressor fridges are able to achieve much lower temperatures. However, they are noisy when in operation. Some people prefer compressor fridges because they can be used to store other things as well, like food for the long-term. Most wine fridges for homes and bars are of the electric type, which runs much quieter. Electric fridges are also more environmentally friendly as they don't require any refrigerant. Whichever one you go with you will have plenty of options to choose from. Temperature Sensei wrote a great article on wine coolers and why you should have one, to make it a little easier for you.
Whichever type of fridge you go with, understanding how they work is always helpful. The underlying mechanics of a wine fridge are much easier to understand than many people realize.
Are you interested in learning more about thermoelectric wine fridge? Contact us today to secure an expert consultation!