If you enjoy wining and dining guests or consider yourself a budding sommelier, it’s likely you’ll to want to invest in a wine fridge or wine cellar as your collection grows.
While bar fridges and standard refrigerators are usually chilled around the 3°C mark, a fridge specifically for wine usually targets 12°C as the optimal cellaring temperature – and also has controlled humidity and minimised vibration.
Chilling your preferred vintages for serving is a different story, however. Opt for 6-8°C for sparkling, 8-13°C for whites and 15-18°C for reds. After all, no one likes a warm glass of champers.
So, whether you’re an avid collector or natural entertainer, we’ve rounded up 5 of the best wine fridges, cabinets, cellars and coolers in Australia, based on features and who they’re suited to, so your wines can age just like the old adage says.
5 best wine fridges to shop in 2024
Vintec 170 bottle wine storage cabinet
$3999 at The Good Guys
Best for: the collector who needs multi-zone storage
Featuring customisable temperature zones to suit different varieties of wine, anti-UV glass ideal for alfresco settings and an external compressor to protect from vibrations and sunlight, this Vintec fridge perfectly preserves 170 bottles.
Key features:
- Adjustable thermostat between 6 and 22°C, across single or multiple zones
- Shelves slide out for access
- Quiet operation
- Energy-efficient and freestanding design
- Two-year warranty
Devanti 12 bottle thermoelectric wine cooler
$174.95 at Amazon
Best for: the dabbling collector
Humble yet reliable, this thermoelectric wine cooler features adjustable temperature control, UV-resistant glass, a child safety lock and more. A top notch choice for the energy and environmentally conscious.
Key features:
- Built-in interior LEDs
- Double-glazed, UV-resistant glass door
- High precision thermoelectric cooling technology
- Auto-defrost
- Pull-out chrome racks
- Silent operation
- Safety child lock
- Energy-efficient design
Also available:
- $204.95 (usually $243.95) at Myer
- $249 at Temple & Webster
Vintec 35 bottle wine cabinet
$799 at The Good Guys
Best for: the modest collector
Cellar any wine or serve red, whites and blends at specific temperatures with this single-zone wine fridge that offers stable temperature, high humidity, UV and vibration protection and quality airflow. Five pillars of wine storage: achieved.
Key features:
- Reversible right hand door
- Quiet operation
- Two-year manufacturer’s warranty
Also available:
- $699 at Bing Lee
- $899 at Betta
- $1019 at Appliances Online
Hisense 30 bottle wine cellar
$399 (usually at $599) at Betta
Best for: someone who loves the same types of wines
If you’re a creature of habit and mostly stick to the same type of vino, this single temperature 30-bottle wine cellar is a solid pick for you. With natural wooden shelves and interior LED lighting, it’s also a chic addition to any entertaining space.
Key features:
- Touch electronic control
- Six wooden shelves
- Reversible right hinge door
- Three-year manufacturer’s warranty
Also available:
- $397 at The Good Guys
Liebherr 195 bottle wine storage cabinet
$4464 (was $5668) at Appliances Online
Best for: avid collectors
Allow your vino to age with grace in this cabinet that maintains ideal conditions for wine storage and can home an impressive 195 bottles. With a five-year manufacturer warranty, you can curate your cellar collection with peace of mind.
Key features:
- Adjustable wooden shelves
- UV-protected dark storage area
- Single zone temperature control
- Door alarms
06
ASKO Wine Climate cabinet
now $13499 (was $14499) at The Good Guys
Best for: the serious collector
The ASKO wine cabinet is designed with professional-grade storage for up to 190 bottles. Created with both efficiency and aesthetics in mind, this sleek wine fridge comes with with features like adjustable RGB lighting, a built-in label-scanning camera, and three climate adjustments so you can ensure your wine is stored just as the makers intended.
With a chic matte black finish and anti-vibration shelves, this freestanding unit is an investment in both style and the longevity of your wine collection.
Materials: Black matte-finished steel with anti-vibration wooden shelves
Key features:
- Stores up to 190 bottles
- Three climate zones for optimal temperature and humidity
- Built-in camera for scanning wine labels
- Anti-vibration shelves
- Two-year manufacturer’s warranty
Is it worth having a wine fridge?
If you have wine that you want to store, a wine fridge will help ensure it ages well. Considering how expensive fine wines can be (and how delicious), the last thing anyone wants is for them to go bad.
And if you’re wondering just how expensive wine can be, in 2018 Sotheby’s reported that it sold the most expensive bottle for US$558 000: a 1945 Domaine de la Romanee-Conti Grand Cru (Bordeaux). So for collectors, making sure wine is stored properly is be a valuable investment.
How much should I spend in a wine fridge?
Prices can range from around $200 for a wine cooler, to more than $5000 for a wine cabinet. To help you decide how much to spend, think about:
- How many bottles you want to store
- How long you want to store them
- The amount of space you have for wine storage
- The value of your wine collection
- What features you need (and want)
- The quality of the wine fridge options you’re looking at buying
You also need to think about your budget and how much you are comfortable spending. It’s important to be realistic, but also make sure the wine fridge you buy is right for what you want.
If you have a small budget, you could even choose to start with a small but high-performing fridge that you can use for a selection of wines before upgrading to a larger version for all your wines in the future.
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