Not too many years back if you heard the term wine cooler, your
thoughts automatically went to Bartles & James and if someone told
you about their wine collection you pictured a dusty underground vault,
where bottles lined the walls in orderly rows, slowly aging to
perfection. Your average person that lived in your average suburban
home could enjoy a good glass of wine when out on the town, but seldom
had the capacity to store wine in optimal conditions at home. With the
advent of under counter coolers, a wine cellar is no longer a necessity
in order to be a collector of fine wines. In fact, anyone can turn
their kitchen into modern day wine cellar.
Fine wines are expensive and they are only worth the money if you have
a place to store them. Wine is alive, constantly changing according to
its environment. Lots of things affect what changes a wine, including
temperature, humidity, darkness, calm, ventilation and the angle at
which it is stored. A good wine cooler will take these things into
account. You always want your wine to be stored so that it is
horizontal, at the lowest, stable temperature possible, in a place that
is free of vibration, and away from places where you store items that
have a strong odor.
The ideal conditions for storing wine are at 50 -55 degrees and 70%
humidity. A wine refrigerator or wine cooler is ideal for this task.
Unlike regular refrigerators, wine coolers run a little warmer
maintaining the optimum temperature for wine. Because they are
electronic, their temperature never fluctuates, helping the wine to
maintain its constant flavor. They also offer storage options so you
can lay the bottles down, allowing the wine to always stay in contact
with the cork. An under the counter wine cooler, built into your
kitchen also offers extra protection from the natural light in your
house.
When you go out shopping for a wine cooler, there are some things to
look for. You want to make sure that the door of the cooler is dark.
Try to avoid clear glass coolers. They may look fabulous when they are
filled with rows of wines glittering under the fluorescent lights of
your kitchen, but all of the light that will seep in the bottles will
ruin your wine. When wine is exposed to too much light it creates a
condition called being “light struck.” The result of this condition is
that the wine ends up tasting like dry cardboard.
Another consideration when you purchase an under counter wine cooler is
the location where you plan to install it. Stand in the middle of your
kitchen and take a minute to observe each spot under your counters that
the cooler could potentially be placed. Make sure you don’t install it
near a stove or oven, which could affect its temperature. Stay away
from the refrigerator and the dishwasher because vibrations from both
of these appliances will over time, ruin your wine. Placing an under
counter wine cooler near the sink also puts if too close to vibrations
as water runs through the pipes. If you have an island that has no
appliances situated on it you have found the perfect location for your
under counter wine cooler.
With the installation of an under counter wine cooler, you can serve
wine to guests that came from your own “cellar” Since a cooler will
maintain the perfect conditions for storing your wine, your guests will
never know you didn’t trek down a flight of stars into a darkened
basement, sift through row after row of fine pinots to choose the
perfect vintage, and chill the bottle to perfection just for
