If you regularly enjoy a glass of wine with your dinner or you entertain guests on a regular basis, it is a good idea to invest in a wine cooler. It has been scientifically proven! According to researchers in Italy, wine stored in a cooler will age better than wine that has been stored in regular conditions at home.
So, if you enjoy drinking wine but your home does not have a wine cellar, consider a wine cooler. At Ship It Appliances, we offer a wide range at affordable prices. While some are designed to fit under counters, others are made thin and tall to stand in tight spaces and corners. They are designed to hold a wide range of bottles, so you can find one that suits your collection.
Before you spend £100s of pounds on your cooler, make sure you’re aware of their key differences by reading this.
Thermoelectric vs Compressor Wine Cooler - see the guide here
Alternative uses for your wine cooler
Wine coolers are a great investment for anyone that enjoys their wine and wants a selection of bottles ready-to-drink at all times – but did you know a wine cooler can do so much more than store wine? Here’s a few ideas for other ways to use a wine refrigerator.
Storing other drinks
Let’s start with the obvious – storing other drinks in your wine cooler. Any soft drinks that can be stored at ambient temperatures (which is most of them) can be kept in a wine cooler, too. The same goes for other alcoholic beverages including beers and ciders – there’s nothing wrong with using a wine fridge for beer, thereby freeing up space in your main fridge.
It’s worth noting that milk-based drinks will need to be stored at a much lower temperature than your wines if they’re to last longer than a few days. That said, if you’re drinking milk quickly (for example, if you’re serving up milk-based cocktails at a party) storing it in your wine cooler for a few hours is fine.
If you’re going to be throwing a party and making large amounts of punch, or mass-producing margaritas on a miniature production line in your kitchen, then a wine cooler will provide an excellent place to store them until it’s time to serve them up. For those looking to impress, presenting cocktails at the right temperature is crucial. In this sense, extra fridge space is sure to be welcome!
Storing certain foods
Can you store food in a wine cooler? The answer is “sometimes”. It depends on the food, and it pays to be careful. The average kitchen fridge is designed to be slightly cooler than the average wine cooler, as only the palest and sweetest wines benefit from being served below 6°C.
Fruits and vegetables can be kept for longer in a wine cooler than they might be in a bowl on your kitchen table, or a sack in your utility room. Different fruits and vegetables will thrive at different temperatures, and so some minor adjustments might be necessary.
You can also use a wine refrigerator to store cheese. That said, the softer the cheese, the cooler the storage space will need to be. A tub of cream cheese will need to be kept refrigerated; a block of parmesan is a little more forgiving.
If you’re thinking of using a wine fridge for cheese, then start with the harder stuff. Harder cheese can cope with temperatures up to fifteen degrees, while soft or blue cheeses should be kept beneath 8°C, at the very least.
Which Wine Cooler Should You Choose?
As you can see, choosing the right cooler to suit your needs is really more function over fashion.
Wine storage and preservation is all about consistent temperature control in all conditions. Where you’re looking to store your cooler and where you live will help you to decide which is best for you.
At Ship It Appliances, we supply a wide range of integrated and freestanding wine coolers or different capacities that can suit anything from a small household kitchen to a fancy restaurant.
Need more information on our wine coolers, try these handy guides:
Thermoelectric Vs Compressor Wine Coolers
Wine cooler buying guide
How to store open wine
