Tips For How to Choose a Wine Cabinet: Protecting Your Wine Collection

Proper wine storage is a topic that comes up often. Customers are looking for a quality solution that protects their wine collection and investment.  Whether you are looking for long term or short term storage, Wine Cabinets (Wine Fridge) are a great solution that won’t require a wine cellar build. 

Are you wondering what Wine Fridge is best for you? In this article, we will review the following topics for you to consider as you shop for the perfect Wine Cabinet.
  • What is a Wine Cabinet and why do I need one?
  • Do I need a Wine Storage Specialist?
  • What is the difference between Wine Maturing and Wine Serving Cabinets?
  • What size wine cabinet do I need?
  • Do I want a solid or glass door?
  • What shelving configuration should I choose?
What is a Wine Cabinet and why do I need one?
A Wine Cabinet, Wine Refrigerator, Wine Fridge, Wine Cooler,  or Wine Fridge is a stand alone plug-in refrigeration unit that maintains temperature and humidity levels for your wine collection.  But, Wine Cabinets differ from a kitchen refridgerator.   Wine Cabinets provide for ideal temperature and humidity levels specifically for wine.  Wine Cabinets also help to keep out harmful light and reduce vibrations that can adversly impact your wine. Building a Wine Cellar requires time, expense and space. Choosing a Wine Cabinet (or multiple) as an alternative, is an easy and less expensive solution. 

Do I need a Wine Storage Specialist?
For starters, connect with a wine storage specialist at  Wine Appreciation .  Our experts will walk you through various storage options.   We have over 30 years experience designing, installing and servicing our wine storage product line.   You can be assured that you will get solid advice and personalized service on your purchase.  Wine Appreciation will help  guide you to the best solution for your home and wine collection.  Most wines are purchased to enjoy right away or within a few years.  Other wines are meant for long term aging or maturing.  As a result, there are various approaches between long term and short term wine storage. But, heat, light and oxygen are wine enemies in all instances.  We offer support to our customers through the life cycle of their purchase. No hidden fees or service contracts.  And, we answer our calls same day!
What is the difference between Wine Maturing and Wine Serving Cabinets?

Wine cabinets are used for wine maturing or wine serving.  Wine Cabinet temperature options include single zone, dual zone and multiple zone.  Zones refer to the number of independently temperature-controlled areas within the Wine Fridge.  Let’s discuss a little further.

Wineappreciation.com ©Wine Appreciation  (add to chart)

Wine Maturing Cabinets 
are a single-temperature (single zone) cabinet.  You want a steady temperature at 55 degrees for your collection – the average optimal temperature for most wine.   Your cabinet should also maintain proper humidity levels to protect your wine bottle cork.   Wine maturing/storage cabinets are for safe-keeping your wine and meet 95% of  all customer needs.  And it is important to note that only single zone units can maintain proper humidity levels to protect your corks over long periods of time.

Wine Serving Cabinets
allow for a wine specific serving temperature (single zone) or temperatures (dual or multiple zone).   For example, restaurants might keep their wine at a serving temperature because they serve wine and generally don’t store wine for 5-10 years.   

Dual or Mutliple Zone Cabinets
contain several temperature compartments, for maturing, chilling and bringing your wine to room temperature. 
*It is important to note that no wine cabinet provides serving temps for all wine.  The alternative is to simply pull your wine from your storage wine cabinet an hour ahead, and place them uncorked, on the counter for red or in the fridge for white.

What size Wine Cabinet Do I Need?
How many bottles do you wish to store?   Have you considered how that number might increase over time?   Because, you want to select a Wine Fridge size that will allow you to grow your wine collection.  Our Wine Cabinets range in wine bottle capacity from 75 -400+ wine bottles per cabinet.  Additionally, you want to ensure that the shelves in your Wine Cabinet will hold the different wine bottle shapes and sizes.  Wine Cabinets typically come in the following sizes and wine bottle capacities:

S : small wine cabinets for storing 75 – 144 bottles
M : average-sized wine cabinets for storing 144-200 bottles
L : large wine cabinets for storing 350 – 400 bottles


Prestige Loft Vintage
74 / 92 bottles
1 Temp
Prestige Manoir
141 / 177 bottles
1 Temp
Prestige Castel
165 / 209 bottles
3 Temp
Prestige Ermitage
183 / 234 bottles*
1 Temp
Euro 3800
458 Bottles
1 Temp
Do I want a Glass or Solid Door?
Wine Cabinets come in a variety of different door styles.   But, the most common  door style choice is between a solid or glass door.   Many glass doors offer UV protection which filter out 99% of UV rays and protect your wine from the light.   Because, remember, light is not a friend to wine!  And, pick a Wine Fridge with a thermostat that senses minor temperature changes when you open and close the doors.  A quality Wine Cabinet will activate the compressor immediately to return the ambient temperature quickly to the correct temperature.   Good insulation is another key component to choosing a Wine Cabinet.   Wine cabinet materials and good technical glass helps to ensure decreased energy use, lower risk of condensation and ideal internal temperature performance. Reversible doors and locking mechanisms are also common features.

Glass DoorSolid Door

What should I consider when selecting Wine Cabinet Shelves?
Wine Cabinet shelves are designed to meet your storage requirements and maximize wine bottle protection.   Wine bottles come in a variety of shapes and sizes.  You want to  make sure your Wine Cabinet shelving options offer adequate storage capability for wine bottle differences.   Wine Cabinets  range in configuration based on the number of wine bottles and your storage requirements.   Sliding shelves can help to organize your wine cabinet while storage shelves help to store a maximum number of bottles.  Finally, display shelves allow you to showcase your favorite bottles.
Display ShelvingStorage ShelvingSliding ShelvingStorageSliding and Display
Final Thoughts
In conclusion, Wine Appreciation carries a wide variety of Wine Cabinets and/or Wine Storage solutions. Browsing the internet for Wine Cabinets can be overwhelming. Let us help you with choosing the best unit for your space and collection. Call us today!