7 Best Wine Fridges of 2024

In the Good Housekeeping Institute Kitchen Appliances and Innovation Lab, our experts test everything from the best freezers to the best wine glasses and more. We also regularly meet with brand reps and attend industry shows, like the Kitchen and Bath Show, to learn about new models and trends, get hands-on experience with the products and do deep dives with company experts. We've researched wine coolers from trusted and proven brands, vetted online user reviews and compared features across multiple price points.

When testing wine fridges specifically, we look for temperature uniformity within the fridge's interior as well as ease of use when it comes to operating the temperature controls, wine settings and temperature zones. We also consider bottle capacity, price, how comprehensible the owner's manual is and whether or not the wine fridge includes features such as tinted glass, sliding racks and a LED display.

✔️ Bottle capacity: A key feature to consider is how many bottles the unit can store. Some wine coolers can house fewer than a dozen, while others can fit more than 100. A handy rule of thumb to determine the bottle capacity for your needs is to assess the number of wines that you’d like to have on hand, then double that amount to estimate your target number.

If you’re fairly new to collecting and want to age your wine properly, consider a capacity between 25 and 50 bottles. If you’re just hoping to keep bottles at serving temperature, you can go under 20. If you have a growing collection with many different types of bottles, look for a capacity over 50.

✔️ Installation type: The kind of wine fridge you’ll want to buy also depends on where you’re putting it in your home. Make sure to factor in how much open space around the fridge is required for ventilation before you make your purchase.

• A freestanding wine fridge is good if you have a basement, butler’s pantry or out-of-sight location where style isn’t as much of a concern.
• A built-in wine fridge is more of an investment but it will seamlessly integrate with your kitchen or bar. Some built-in wine fridges come panel-ready so your new refrigerator can blend right into the rest of your cabinetry, while other options are available in stainless steel.
• An under-the-counter wine fridge is more compact if you don’t have much extra space. It also can be placed in a corner.

✔️ Size of shelves: Many wine fridges are designed to hold bottles in the classic Bordeaux shape (straight-sided with pronounced shoulders near the neck). It's important to consider the shape of the bottles you're most likely to store when shopping for a wine fridge.

"I drink a ton of Alsatian and German wines, which come in thinner, longer bottles," said Lokey. "The first annoying lesson I learned was getting deeper shelves that can accommodate these bottles since they would make up most of my collection." Marquez also looks at the shelf specs. "I make sure that big bottles like vintage champagnes can fit without scraping off the label."

✔️ Compressor vs. thermoelectric:

• Compressor wine fridges use standard compressor refrigeration (the same technology you’ll find in your kitchen refrigerator and window AC units), and these are what you'll most commonly find on the market. If you have a large collection, you’re interested in dual-zone cooling and/or design is important to you, you’re better off with a standard compressor model.
• Thermoelectric energy wine fridges are generally quieter, more energy-efficient and less expensive than their standard counterparts. No compressor also means less vibration that may disturb the sediment in your wine, and fewer parts that may break. But thermoelectric energy can only keep a fairly small space cool efficiently. If you have a small collection and you’re concerned with energy use, you may want to consider getting a small countertop or freestanding thermoelectric wine fridge.

✔️ Design: Wine fridges come in a range of styles and finishes, from simple and traditional to ultra-modern and elegant. Choose a fridge that suits your kitchen or home bar style. Make sure the interior lighting, rack style, handle and glass door don’t clash with your existing appliances. Look for coated or tinted glass doors that protect your wine from UV rays that can be damaging to the wine.

✔️ Material of shelves: The most common materials are wood and stainless steel and which one you choose can be a matter of aesthetics and practicality.

• Stainless steel shelves are a popular choice as they are sturdy and can hold the weight of multiple or larger bottles. Some metal shelves may also be wrapped in silicone to prevent vibrations and clanking of bottles. They are also lower maintenance than wood shelving. "I like vinyl or metal for the ease of cleaning and durability," said Austin who is responsible maintaining hundreds of bottles.

For Lokey's collection of 1,500 bottles for the two restaurants in LA, he opts for metal over wood. "It's not as pretty, but neither is wine-stained wood after some time," he said. "I also think the smaller metal grates allow for a bit better organization, but that’s more of a personal preference."

• Wood shelving is often the better looking option, and can limit the amount of vibration when you slide shelves in and out or open the door, as well as help maintain the temperature of the bottles. Marquez prefers wood for the 450 bottles in his care but said, "Metal also works. I like them both because of price and durability options, but it may depend on your budget."

✔️ Extra features: Many wine fridges come loaded with extra features like reversible doors, multiple rack types, temperature zones, LED displays, sliding shelves, locks, alarms and more. Larger models may also have a center shelf for storing bottles upright as well as for decanting and serving.

Good insulation is important as well for Austin. "I also look for a low-energy draw compressor that doesn't get too loud." Prioritize the features that will maximize your use of the fridge and help you get the most out of your purchase.

✔️ Warranty: Check the warranty on a fridge before you make your purchase, specifically on the compressor. Although wine fridges are generally smaller appliances, their price tags and complex parts mean you should approach buying them as you would any large appliance. Avoid brands with nonexistent custom service or poor warranty policies.

Most experts we talked to recommended a dual-zone wine fridge, which as the name implies, has two different temperature zones. This is advantageous for storing reds and whites separately because you want to serve white wines cooler than reds. In general, aim to serve sparkling wines at 41°F to 45°F; whites and rosés at 45°F to 55°F; and reds at 54°F to 65°F.

"If you only have one wine fridge, it's best to have a dual zone," said Austin. "It will allow for proper storage of reds and whites, which ideally would be kept at slightly different temperatures." Lokey also prefers a dual zone over single zone. "I can dial in the specific temperature for whites and reds, which means if I have a spur of the moment need to pour them (and who doesn’t?), they’ll be ready to go."

Dual-zone fridges can be helpful if you have a larger quantity of particularly delicate wines, but they’re not essential. Do note that the built-in divider in these fridges will reduce their overall capacity.

Ironically, you’ll find that the very smallest and the very largest fridges are typically single-zone — very small ones don’t have space for the divider and very large ones are typically used to store wine over a long period of time, not to serve. If you're using a single-zone wine fridge specifically for serving wine, set it to one of the of the temperature ranges detailed above. If it's for storing wine, the target number is 55°F.

Ultimately, choose the kind of wine cooler that’s right for you and the kind of wine you hope to store and drink.

Short answer: Yes! Wine fridges are meant for storing unopened bottles of wine, making them the perfect vessel for aging to occur. They also protect your wine from temperature fluctuations and UV rays which can spoil your wine, explained Tracey.

A wine fridge will keep your wines at a steady temperature. "Since UV rays can damage the molecules in a wine, wine fridges will keep the wine out of direct sunlight," said Tracey.

However, if you buy most of your wine from a local store (which are usually meant to be drunk within a year of purchase) or are not planning on storing wine long term, you may not need a fridge to keep your bottles in good condition. If "your wine storage is in a relatively cool place out of direct sunlight, a wine rack will be just fine," Tracey said.

A wine fridge can be a splurge purchase, so it's important to evaluate your tendencies and what makes most sense.

Ultimately, it depends on the type of red or white wine. "As a rule, wines with high acidity or lots of tannins can age for a longer period in the wine fridge," Tracey said.

Most unopened wine bottles can be stored in a wine fridge for up to five years, said Tracey, but she recommended checking in with an expert or wine shop staff if you go beyond that timeline as you don't want to wait too long to pop the cork. Wines that age well past 20 years are pretty rare, but if you have a special bottle you can also double check the winery's website.

When it comes to opened bottles of wine, though, you are better off storing them in your regular fridge which is colder at 36°F to 37°F compared to around 48°F to 58°F in a wine fridge. "Think of opened bottles like leftover food: The colder they're stored, the longer they last," explained Tracey.

Opened bottles of wine should last for seven to 10 days in a regular fridge, as long as they are sealed tightly with the cork or a vacuum stopper. "Opened wines may decline to the point where they're past their prime (maybe they taste a little flat or stale), but they're not toxic to ingest (alcohol kills most bacteria). You can still drink it as long as it's palatable to you."

Susan Choung is the recipe editor for Good Housekeeping and reports on all things related to wine and spirits. Her previous experience includes four years working at a boutique wine and spirits shop in Brooklyn, New York, where tasting and evaluating samples was a daily occurrence. During her five-year tenure as books editor at Food & Wine, she tasted, edited and coordinated testing of all beverage recipes for the cocktail book series.

Nicole Papantoniou is the Kitchen Appliances and Innovation Lab director at the Good Housekeeping Institute and has overseen content and testing in this category since 2019. She has worked in test kitchens for small kitchen appliance brands and ational magazines, and is trained in classic culinary arts and culinary nutrition.

Sarah Tracey is certified sommelier, cocktail expert, writer and educator. She is a beverage director for Michelin-star restaurants in NYC and a drinks contributor at The Food Network. Sarah is the founder of The Lush Life, where you can read up on all things food and wine.

Ian Lokey is the beverage director of Sushi Note and Sushi Note Omakase in Los Angeles.

Miguel Marquez is the beverage director and sommelier at Republica in Portland, Oregon.

Jeff Austin is a sommelier at Jaleo and é by José Andrés inside The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas.