Single Zone or Dual Zone Wine Coolers. Read Before You Buy.

Are you looking to buy a wine cooler?  Single zone or dual zone? Small collection or large?

Whether you are a first time buyer or someone looking to upgrade, the different types of wine coolers with the various features available can seem a little overwhelming at first.

What size wine cooler should I get?  Full size wine cooler?  Undercounter wine cooler?  

What features are important to me?  Door ajar alarm?  Digital touch screen?  Sabbath mode?  

Should I get a freestanding wine cooler for the family room or a built-in wine cooler to add to the kitchen?

What setting will the wine cooler be placed in?  Residential?  Commercial?  Outdoor patio kitchen?

What about single zone or dual zone? Or multiple zones? What types of wines will I be storing?

Let’s talk about the last question.  One of the most important things to consider when investing in a wine cooler is whether or not you should get a dual zone wine cooler.  What’s the benefit of having two independent temperature zones?  A single zone wine cooler only has one temperature zone for your various wines - red or white - which is fine if you are only using it for storage.  The ideal temperature for storing wine long term (six months or longer) is 55°F.  The kitchen refrigerator is around 37°F, which is much too cold for storing wine.

Wine that is chilled too cold will degrade before its time.  The wine will shrink quite a bit, creating a vacuum in the bottle that pulls oxygen through the cork.  Oxygen quickly degrades the wines flavor and delicate aromas.  Worst case, your wine can taste “vinegary”, ruining your perfectly good bottle of wine.

So for storing wine, the kitchen fridge is out! 

Why should you consider a dual zone wine cooler?  The reason is the serving temperature of wine.  White wines are served chilled, red wines are served warmer.  The optimal serving temperature for Pinot Gris, Riesling and Sauvignon Blanc is 45 - 50°F.  Whereas the optimal serving temperature for a full-bodied red wine such as Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot is between 60 - 70°F, which is usually colder than room temperature, which averages around 68°F.

This is why a dual zone wine cooler would be beneficial, especially if you host dinner parties or holiday gatherings.  You can store wine in one zone, and serve wine directly from the second zone without having to warm your red wine, or chill your white.  If you serve both, then you could use one zone for reds and the other zone for whites.  Three zone and four zone wine coolers are also available if your collection is more varied and storing needs are different.

There are many sizes and style of wine cooler to choose from with lots of feature available, so take your time and select the one that works best for you.  Wine coolers aren’t cheap, but they are a great investment to protect and preserve your favorite wines.

Cheers!