The best wine coolers to keep your bottles at the perfect temperature, tested
If you're renovating or upgrading your kitchen, you may be toying with the idea of adding a wine cooler to your set-up, for storing all your favourite white wines, best rosé wine and best champagne. In fact, the best wine coolers are only one step down from having your own wine cellar.
Built-in wine fridges will fit neatly among your cupboards and kitchen appliances, keeping all your favourite drinks at a controlled temperature to preserve their quality and ensure they're ready to serve — so you can enjoy a chilled glass at the end of a long day, whatever the occasion.
However, you don't need to completely rejig your space to enjoy the benefits of a wine fridge: freestanding models can be placed wherever you have the space.
Whichever type you're after, the Good Housekeeping Institute has put a range of leading models to the test to find the most reliable for your collection. The scores are in and these are our best wine coolers to shop now.
Are wine coolers worth it?
It depends on how much you like you're wine! If you enjoy the occasional glass and don't tend to keep bottles, then one of our experts' best fridge/freezers with a wine rack included is probably ample.
However, if you're spending a bit more on your wine and intend to store it, then a wine cooler is a good idea. This is because it will keep bottles at the optimum temperature. As we all know, a standard household fridge gets a lot of use, so the door is constantly being opened and closed, making it harder to maintain consistent temperatures.
Unlike your fridge, a wine cooler is also designed to protect your bottles. Many feature tinted or UV treated doors to avoid damage from sunlight, and they offer dedicated storage to avoid any knocks. Plus, of course, there's the style factor – if you can fit a cooler in your kitchen and you have the budget, they can be a chic addition.
How to choose the best wine cooler
Every kitchen and wine collection is unique, so it's important to find a wine cooler that works for you. Here's what to consider before you buy.
Capacity
When deciding which wine cooler is right for you, bottle capacity should be at the top of your list. The smallest cooler on our list can fit 21 bottles, making it most suitable for those who crack open the occasional vintage, while the largest can fit an impressive 190, making it a better pick if you regularly host dinner parties or collect wine.
Built-in or freestanding
You'll need to ask yourself whether you want an integrated cooler — i.e. built into your existing kitchen set-up, in between cupboards or other appliances — or if you would prefer to plug in and be ready to go with a freestanding model.
Neither of the two is better, so it simply comes down to what works for your space.
Single or dual temperature
Some wine coolers come with two separate compartments that can be set to different temperatures, so you can store your red wine at room temperature along with your chilled whites and rosés in the same fridge.
If you only like one colour of grape, or you're simply looking to have plenty of cold wine ready for those balmy summer nights, then a single-zone model should suffice.
How we test wine coolers
Our Good Housekeeping Institute experts use a data logger — an electronic device designed to automatically monitor and record environmental conditions — to check that each wine cooler stayed at the right temperature over two hours, 24 hours and 48 hours. If the fridge had multiple temperature zones, they checked the temperature stability for each compartment.
They also measure how quickly each machine returned to the optimal temperature after its door was left open for two minutes, as well as its energy consumption over 48 hours. Finally, they considered each model's ease of use, instructions and design elements to determine the best buys.
Series 6 KUW21AHG0G Built In Wine Cooler
Score: 93/100
This built-in fridge may be more expensive than similar-sized appliances on our list, but our testers thought it was worth every penny. Its performance in terms of temperature stability — arguably one of the most important qualities in a wine cooler — was impressive. Although the upper zone's temperature rose by 1.3 degrees over 24 hours, the lower zone rose only by 0.2 degrees.
As a whole, it was able to recover to the right temperature incredibly quickly after being opened for two minutes, and it used up very little energy on test, too.
The controls were intuitive, though you do have to open the door to access them. That said, the stable shelves made it easy to secure bottles, and the cooler was a breeze to clean. Top marks.
190 Bottle Multi-Zone Wine Cabinet WCN311942G
Score: 91/100
Designed for the discerning collector, this freestanding wine fridge is a luxury investment. With a 190-bottle capacity, it's perfect for collectors who want to ensure their wines' quality in the long term. It features three temperature zones and showed an average temperature fluctuation of just 0.2 degrees over 24 hours across all three. It didn't warm significantly when left open for two minutes, and recovered to the correct temperature with ease.
Beyond bottle storage, there’s a storage drawer for accessories, a brick you can fill with water to adjust humidity levels, and a serving shelf with colour-changing LED lights. Detailed instructions and an app from which you can control the temperature make it easy to use. Of course, this is a large piece of kit, but if you have the space to accommodate it, you won't regret the purchase.
£5999.00 at elitefridges.co.uk
Freestanding Single-Zone Wine Cooler HWS49GA
Score: 88/100
If you love how much you can do straight from your phone these days, this is the wine cooler for you. The accompanying app allows you to change the temperature remotely, and has pre-set temperature modes for red, sparkling and white wine, so you don't have to do your own research. Add your bottles to the inventory on the app so you can consult it from the dinner table; it’ll even help you with wine pairings.
Performance-wise, this single-zone wine cooler's temperature stability was top-notch. Though it heated significantly when left open, it recovered quickly, so it won't affect your wine's integrity. This sleek appliance felt intuitive to use on test, and clever features like an easily reversible door and end-stops on the shelves to avoid any bottles falling make it a great buy.
Wine Cooler RW17W4NSWGF
Score: 86/100
When tested over 24 hours, this built-in wine cooler's temperature only fluctuated by an average of 0.1 degrees – the best result from any product on this list. But results did fluctuate slightly when we left the door open.
It's easy to use and clean, has a foolproof reversible door, and features soft-closing mechanisms on its shelves to minimise vibrations and protect your bottles. Although it felt a little basic – there's no option to alter the humidity and its shelves are awkward to move – it's a good option if you're not too concerned about professional-level wine storage.
Plus, it has an impressive capacity despite its compact design, which means it will fit perfectly under your kitchen counter.
N70 Integrated Wine Cooler KU9202HF0G
Score: 86/100
This built-in wine cooler is designed for those with limited space. It can hold up to 21 bottles if the shelves are removed, but the stacking required would make it difficult to store different types of wine, since you'd have to fish them out from under one another.
The temperature stability was great, but the fridge heated significantly when left open, especially the upper zone. Thanks to a quick recovery time, though, this fluctuation wouldn't affect your wine's quality.
It's a basic fridge, with simple shelves that can't be adjusted to different positions and a lack of lighting options. But it didn't use too much energy to run, secured our bottles well and was easy to control and clean.
Wine Cooler CCVB60DUK
Score: 85/100
A reasonably priced dual-zone wine cooler that actually performs well – what's not to love? Though it wasn't the most temperature-stable over a 24-hour period, it made up for this in its recovery time after being left open for a couple of minutes, only taking an average of three minutes and 15 seconds to get back to its settings. The upper zone took a lot longer than the lower one, but not long enough to affect wine quality.
This compact model is easy to use, with a simple, sleek design, a fairly large bottle capacity, a reversible door and well built, stable shelves. The latter is a little tricky to remove, and the controls are inside the fridge, but other than that you really can't go wrong.
FWC881BL Wine Cooler
Score: 83/100
The second largest option on our list, this wine cooler accommodates a respectable 117 bottles. It's perfect for wine enthusiasts and regular party hosts who want to store lots of wine, but don't want to spend on the likes of an ASKO.
Although a more affordable model relative to its size, its temperature fluctuated by an average 1.5 degrees over 24 hours, with the lower temperature zone staying the most stable throughout. The size of this wine fridge makes it awkward to clean from the outside too, but we found it quite energy efficient, making it a solid buy for households who often have guests around.
£1499.00 at markselectrical.co.uk
HWCB45UKBM/1 Built In Wine Cooler
Score: 83/100
We were thoroughly impressed with this fridge's temperature stability over 24 hours and its quick recovery after being opened for a couple of minutes, although it did rise by an average of 2.6 degrees during that test. Still, this fluctuation wouldn't last long enough to damage your wines.
Like the Haier model, this appliance can be controlled via the hOn app, which allows you to keep track of your stock, helps you find wine pairings, and lets you adjust the temperature from a distance. It also recommends a temperature based on your wine inventory. Its dinky size makes it perfect for any kitchen, too.
£669.00 at appliancesdirect.co.uk
Russell Hobbs Drinks & Wine Cooler RHBC48B
Score: 78/100
If you love the idea of a wine cooler but don't want to spend too much, this Russell Hobbs pick is a sure winner. And as far as budget buys go, this appliance was a pleasant surprise; its temperature was stable and it took less than 10 minutes to get back to the set temperature after being left open. This means it should do a great job preserving your wines' quality, as long as you don't have a huge collection to store.
In other ways though, you get what you pay for; its energy consumption was relatively high, the wine racks didn't feel too secure and there was no indication of the current temperature in the fridge. However, all things considered, it's a nifty and easy to use addition to your kitchen.
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