Not just for the professional wine collector, wine cabinets have become increasingly popular in home kitchens. Fuelled by the pandemic renovation boom and more time spent at home, wine cabinets have become a staple in the suite of kitchen appliances; so that wine lovers can enjoy an exceptional glass when it suits them.
Whether you’re replacing your current wine storage facility or purchasing your first ever wine cabinet, our expert wine cabinet buying guide will point you in the right direction. Read up on all the important factors to consider, as well as tips and tricks and the latest technologies from leading brands such as Vintec and Liebherr .
Wine Cabinet vs. Wine Fridge
There’s a stark difference between Wine Cabinets and Wine Fridges. Wine Cabinets have been designed to replicate the conditions of underground cellars, storing wine at their optimal temperatures, which is typically much higher than the temperatures in a Wine Fridge (or typical fridge).
Temperature Zones
Wine cabinets are available with a range of different storage conditions to help meet your cellaring and serving needs. Single and dual temperature zone wine cabinets are most common, with advanced models also offering multi temperature zones to make cellaring and serving multiple wines at once, possible.
Single temperature zone: will store your wine collection with one temperature only, this is ideal if you typically store one type of wine.
Dual temperature zones: provides the luxury of storing your wine with two different temperature ranges. This is perfect if you like to store two types of wine, for example, red and white wine or perhaps you want to cellar some wine and have the rest at serving temperatures.
Multi-temperature zones: provides a gradient of temperatures throughout the wine cabinet to provide storage of many wines at their ideal drinking temperature. For example, shelves with higher temperatures will be great for red wine while lower temperatures of 6-8˚C are suitable for white wine varieties.
Size & Capacity
Regardless of whether you collect a lot of wine or a little, there’s a wine cabinet to meet your needs. The smallest wine cabinets can store as little as 20 bottles of wine, while larger models can store anywhere between 100 wine bottles to 300-plus wine bottles.
Installation Options
Wine cabinets are available with various installation methods, these include freestanding, under-bench and built-in wine cabinets.
- Freestanding wine cabinets can be placed almost anywhere, so they’re great for existing kitchens, and renters will benefit as the wine cabinet can be removed and taken with you
- Under-bench wine cabinets can be fitted seamless with the benchtop of your kitchen
- Built-in wine cabinets have an integrated look as it blends in with the rest of your kitchen cabinets and cupboards
Protect your Wine
Aside from the wine cabinet’s capacity, installation type and different temperature zones, there’s a range of features that you should keep an eye out to help keep your wine at its best.
- Air filtration: regulated air flow throughout the wine cabinet ensures consistent temperatures to keep wine at its best, whether that’s for cellaring or serving.
- Humidity levels: lack of humidity is the enemy of proper wine storage. Since wine coolers/fridges have cool, dry temperatures with no humidity, this means wine can’t be stored or served at their best. Humidity is also important so that wine corks don’t dry out and shrink, and wine doesn’t get oxidized. As a guide, the humidity in a wine cabinet should be between 50% to 70%.
- Anti-vibration technology: any vibration will disturb your wine from maturing properly, so it’s vital to ensure the wine cabinet is equipped with anti-vibration technologies so that wine does not spoil.
- Anti-UV glass: where possible, keep the wine cabinet and wine out of direct sunlight as exposure to UV light will prematurely age and degrade wine. Wine cabinets with anti-UV glass will help limit the effects of UV light.
Wine Storage Tips
Store your favourite wines at their best with these storage tips:
Cellaring: for medium to long-term storage of all wines including reds, whites, roses, and Champagne, the suggested temperature range is 12-14˚C.
Serving: for white wines, the wine cabinet temperatures should be between 6-8˚C.
Serving: for red wines, the wine cabinet temperatures should be between 16-18˚C.
Wine Serving Tips
Thought you had to serve white wines chilled and red wines at room temperature? This is a common misconception which often involves serving wine that’s not at its best. To help you serve and enjoy delicious wine the way they’re mean to be enjoyed, below are some handy serving tips to know:
- White Wines: Such as Chardonnay, are best served at 11-12˚C. If served at lower temperatures, for example 5˚C, the wine will be stripped of all its aromas and flavours, resulting in an acidic wine.
- Red Wines: Often recommended to be served at ‘room temperature’, which is actually between 15-18˚C, not the average Australian room temperature of 24-30˚C. If served around 25˚C, red wine loses its freshness to an overpowering alcoholic sensation. Where possible, give red wine some time to cool down in the fridge or cellar it at 12˚C in the wine cabinet.
Don’t have a wine cabinet with precise temperature controls? Here are some tricks for best wine serving conditions:
- White Wines: Don’t leave the bottle of wine in the fridge all day. Instead, fill a bucket with ice, add the white wine bottle in and it will be at the right serving temperature in no time (10-15 minutes).
- Red Wines: If you can’t cellar your red wine at 12˚C in a wine cabinet, simply let it cool down in the fridge for around 20-25 minutes before serving.
Our Range of Premium Wine Cabinets
Vintec Wine Cabinets
Scandinavian-designed Vintec wine cabinets are an affordable range that makes wine collection and preservation, simple. Design, technology and expertise combine to deliver high-quality and beautiful wine cabinets that will be loved in any home. Vintec wine cabinets are available with capacities from 20 wine bottles to 300+ wine bottles. They are also available with single, dual and multi-zone temperatures. Enjoy optimal storage conditions provided by Vintec’s standard inclusions such as:
- Humidity recycling system
- Digital temperature display
- LED lighting
- Rubber shock absorbers
- Double glazed anti-UV glass doors
- Adjustable beechwood wooden shelves
Some Vintec wine cabinets even feature a Winter Heating Function that delivers a constant temperature throughout the cellar all year round, even when the temperature outside drops significantly.
Liebherr Wine Cabinets
Avid wine drinkers and dedicated collectors will enjoy the German engineering and technology behind Liebherr’s wine cabinets. Delivering protective storage conditions, Liebherr wine cabinets cater to as little as 12 bottles, with their larger wine cabinets boasting capacity to store over 300 bottles. Liebherr wine cabinets are available with single, dual and multi-zone temperatures. Across Liebherr’s wine cabinet range, store and serve wine at their best thanks to:
- FreshAir activated charcoal filters that ensure fresh air quality
- Double glazed doors
- Low-vibration operation
- LED lighting
- Hand crafted beechwood shelves
- Child locks
Find Your Perfect Wine Cabinet
Your wine cellaring, serving and storage needs will differ from the next person. With many brands, sizes, capacities and storage conditions, there’s a wine cabinet that will be the perfect match for your lifestyle. Click on the link below to browse and shop our collection of wine cabinets.