What you need to know before buying a wine refrigerator

Acquiring a wine cellar or refrigerator must be preceded by two serious issues, he warns financial times, in an article dedicated to this topic: Does the purchase serve a purely recreational purpose or is it intended for long-term bottle storage? Is that? Depending on the answer, Tom Harrow, co-founder of Honest Grapes, a UK wine advisor, advises different options.

If you want to have a wine refrigerator just for the long-term storage of bottles, it is worth investing in a preserved wine cellar, that is, equipment in which the wine is always kept at the same temperature throughout the space.

“The right temperature to serve wine is personal—it’s more important to keep the temperature stable,” Harrow says, adding that “regular humidity is also essential so the cork doesn’t dry out.”

But if you prefer to keep wine at an ideal temperature for consumption, you should look for an air-conditioned wine cellar. Because of their different cooling zones, it is possible to have several bottles at different temperatures, allowing red, white or sparkling wines to be cooled in the same place. The upper part is the part with the highest temperature, while the lower part can reach a temperature range of 10 degrees Celsius.

Some of the brands mentioned in the article are the French EuroCave, whose prices range from €1,900 (for 12 bottles) to over €10,000, or Swisscave, whose model WL120F is available from €1,353.

Other models that are more easily accessible in terms of prices are those of Les Petits Champs, a French brand that can be purchased in Portugal through the Caves de Vinho shop. The 12-bottle cellar is on sale for €229.

See in the gallery some suggestions for selected Versa models.