Just Because Its A Wine Cooler
One last point we want to bring up is that many people will still drink a ton of wine coolers simply because it is of lower alcohol content. You need to make sure youre following all of the same safety rules with wine coolers that you would with standard beer because while it might have a lower content, it still adds up.
These points aside, wed like to make it clear that were not knocking wine coolers in any way! There are a ton of great ones out there for you to try, some of which are really tasty! Wine coolers incorporate flavors that other alcoholic beverages simply couldnt get away with, and that gives you more opportunities than you realize. That being said, now would be a great time to start looking into all of the different options which are right on the store shelf. Youre going to discover all new flavors and eventually you might just develop a new addiction.
The Rise Of The Cooler
Originally, wine coolers were home-made from light white wines and lemon-lime soda. However, in the early 1980s, they were bottled and sold commercially by some pretty heavy hitters
Wondering what could possibly be the appeal of such a beverage? Well, aside from a sessional ABV, one didnt have to open a whole bottle of Chardonnay to enjoy something on the lighter side.
Not to mention the easy twist-off cap was a convenient feature in the go-go decade. Combine that with all the flavoring and its no surprise wine coolers became a full-blown phenomenonespecially in an era of sluggish beverage sales.
And a full-blown phenomenon they were. According to the Chicago Tribune in 1985, they accounted for close to 10% of all wine consumption in the United States! Yeah, we know. We couldnt believe it either.
Whats Stronger Wine Cooler Or Beer
Anne Montgomery of the Center for Science in the Public Interest reports that while coolers look like sodas and taste like sodas, most of them actually contain more alcohol than a can of beer of a glass of wine. The average alcohol content of a cooler is about 6 percent. Beer averages about 4 percent.
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How To Pick The Perfect Drinks Cooler For Your Kitchen
Many wine enthusiasts struggle with finding a place to store their bottles safely and at the proper temperature. The best part about top-quality coolers is that they work great for all kinds of beverages all year round, even if youre not a wine fan.
But with so many integrated and freestanding coolers on the market today, how do you know to choose one thats best for you? To find the right drinks fridge, you will need to consider the specific position of the wine cooler, your budget, the colour and style within your kitchen or bar and how big your space is.
Why Refrigerators Are Different From Wine Coolers
You may be asking yourself, I have a perfectly good refrigerator in my kitchen. Why cant I use it to store my wine? That is a great question. Here are the reasons why a refrigerator is not the best option for storing your wine:
- Refrigerators are often kept at an average of 40 degrees. Wines should be stored around 55 degrees.
- Refrigerators are designed to cool products quickly and keep out humidity. Wine coolers lower the temperature of wine gradually and help keep wine at the proper level of humidity .
- The odors from food can seep into your wine if left in the refrigerator for too long.
- Refrigerators vibrate, and vibration can disrupt the maturation process.
- Most refrigerators have vertical storage for tall items. Wine coolers are designed to store wine on its side for even distribution of sediment and keeping the cork from drying out.
Unlike refrigerators, wine coolers are specifically made to provide the best storage environment for your wine. Many wine coolers come with dual temperatures, allowing for optimal storage of both red and white wine.
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The Formula: 4 + 4 + 2 = A Perfect 10
Its all about ratios when it comes to making the perfect cooler. A combination of 4 ounces wine, 4 ounces soda, and 2 ounces of liqueur creates a wonderfully refreshing drink that balances the wine with its added ingredients. Use less wine and you run the risk of not tasting it at all, but add more and its flavors and alcohol will dominate.
This formula is great because it balances the cooler components and is the perfect size for a pint glass filled halfway with ice.
To make the perfect cooler anytime, simply combine the ingredients over ice, and stir to mix the flavors evenly. For a group, batch the wine and liqueur ahead of time and store it in the fridge, adding bubbles and ice just before serving.
Can I Keep White Wine In The Fridge And Red Wine In A Cupboard
Possibly, but not for too long. Wine is a fragile, sensitive drink that can be severely impaired by exposure to the wrong conditions, and the temperature in a standard fridge is far too cold for storing white wines for very long. Plus, not only is the temperature inside a refrigerator too cold for wine storage, it’s also way below the ideal serving temperature. So even if you do keep a bottle of white in the fridge ready for immediate consumption, you’d do best to take it out a little bit before serving to give it time to warm up properly.
600-800
the number of grapes used to make a single bottle of wine
The humidity in a fridge is also too low, which overtime can result in a dried out cork. Add to that the potential risk of strong odours from leftover food affecting your wine, and it becomes clear why it’s really not an ideal solution for wine storage.
Similarly, keeping your reds in a kitchen cupboard for too long isn’t the best option as over time as fluctuating temperatures can negatively impact the flavour and structure of your wine. What’s more, reds are best served a bit cooler than room temperature. If you are keeping them in a cupboard or store room it’s advisable to give them 15-30 minutes in the fridge prior to serving.
Make sure you have a fridge that can chill quickly by checking out our fridge reviews.
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How Much Wine Are You Drinking
Youll need to figure out whether you want a single zone or dual-zone wine cooler. And the answer comes down to how much wine are you drinking around the same time?
A single zone cooler only has one zone of temperature. That means it is uniquely designed to cool a single type of wine to your desired temperature.
A dual-zone cooler has two zones of temperature. This means you can store two different types of wine at two different temperatures. This can be a good way to chill, store and enjoy truly valuable wine.
The exact choice you make will likely come down to available space, available budget, and the size of your wine collection.
Wine Coolers Vs Beverage Coolers Vs Refrigerators
What is the difference between a wine cooler, beverage cooler and refrigerator?
A wine cooler is set to a higher temperature range than a refrigerator or beverage cooler because wine should not be stored as cold as other beverages. On average a wine cooler will not offer temperatures below 46°F degrees. A beverage cooler and refrigerator are similar to each other, but beverage coolers frequently do not offer the adjustable shelves or door storage that a refrigerator often does, and they often have glass doors in order to display the contents.
A wine and beverage cooler has a wide temperature range so it may be used for either, but keep in mind if you want to store both at the same time you will either have too-cold wine or too-warm drinks depending on how you choose to set the internal thermostat.
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How Does A Dual Zone Wine Cooler Work
- 2021-10-13
Wine coolers are an effective way of storing your wine, both for ageing and for serving. There are countless designs of wine coolers on the market in 2021 – you can find wine coolers with door and temperature alarms, display shelving, LED lighting, and of course, dual temperature zones. But what are temperature zones? Why do you need them? How do they work? Keep reading to learn more about dual zone wine coolers, including how they work.
Wine Storage Tips: Understanding The Difference Between A Wine Cooler And A Wine Cellar
What is the best way to store wine? Its really about whats best for you and your personal collection. Temperature, humidity, space, and cost are just some of the factors that can go into your storage decision. To understand the difference between a wine cooler and a wine cellar, its helpful to know how each function and accommodates these factors.
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Main Differences Between A Wine Cellar And Wine Cooler
It is important to note here that the differences between a wine cabinet and a wine cooler may be hard to perceive.
Appliances that are seemingly identical in every way may have significant qualitative, functional and technical differences, and some are not designed for long-term wine storage.
Generally, these differences will be better explained in a specialty shop that sells wine accessories than in household appliance stores and supermarkets, which are less familiar with the more specific aspects of wine preservation.
A wine cellar is specially designed for wine storage and differs from a wine cooler in the following ways:
What Is The Difference Between Wine Cooler And Wine Refrigerator
What is the difference between a wine cooler, beverage cooler and refrigerator? A wine cooler is set to a higher temperature range than a refrigerator or beverage cooler because wine should not be stored as cold as other beverages. On average a wine cooler will not offer temperatures below 46°F degrees.
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Why We Use Wine Cooler
It is a device that stores/ages the wine bottles at optimal serving temperature. Did you just notice the word Optimal Serving Temperature?
Storing wine requires some professional techniques. So that it also needs specialized devices to store. Such as, you cannot save wine in the oxygen-rich air as it is the main culprit behind the wine faults. Thats why we see corks with a sealed wine bottle.
Single Zone Vs Dual Zone Wine Coolers
Whats the difference between single and dual zone wine coolers?
Single zone wine coolers have one temperature control and the storage space is undivided, so the whole cooler is set to the same temperature. This style is best if you tend to keep only white or only red wines, since they dont have the same optimal temperatures. Dual zone wine coolers have two temperature controls and the storage space is divided into sections which may be set to their own temperatures. This style is ideal for keeping both reds and whites without resorting to two wine coolers.
What is the best way to store white and red wines in the same cooler?
Typically, white wines should be stored in the temperature range of 46°F to 56°F and red wines will be stored between 58°F to 68°F. The best way to accommodate both wines within the same unit is to purchase a dual zone wine cooler.
A dual zone cooler will allow you to maintain two distinct and separate temperature zones within the same cooler. Many times a dual zone unit will offer a larger storage capacity for one style of wine over the other so be sure to purchase the unit that best suits your individual drinking preference. You may of course store both red and white wines together in a single zone unit.
May I use a wine cooler to store my other beverages?
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How Long Does Wine Last In The Fridge
When stored properly, unopened wine bottles can be kept for years. If youre opening a bottle and plan to store the bottles remnants in your wine fridge for later, just be sure youre using a bottle stopper with a strong seal, as most wine fridges store bottles horizontally, and dont wait too long to finish the rest of the wine as it will lose its freshness over the days that follow. Alternatively, use a system like Coravin to tap into your bottles and enjoy them for months to come.
Understanding The Difference Between Wine Cellars And Wine Coolers
A wine cellar is a dedicated space that stores wine. It could be in the basement, under the stairs, or in a closet. Used in conjunction with a wine cooling system and the appropriate racking, it will store the wine in optimal conditions for long-term aging. Successful long-term storage conditions include a consistent temperature between 55°F and 57°F , humidity control, darkness and no vibrations. From several hundred to thousands of bottles of wine can be safely stored in wine cellars powered by Wine Guardian wine cooling systems and humidifiers.
A wine cooler simply maintains contents at a consistent temperature, and is best used for storing wine for short periods of time at the correct serving temperatures. It is generally not designed for optimal aging conditions and varies from long-term storage temperatures. Wine coolers usually range from the size of an under-counter refrigerator to several doors wide.
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The Right Drinking Temperature For Wines
To fully enjoy wines and experience their characteristic aroma and taste you have to drink them at the right temperatures.
Red wines like Bordeaux, syrah, and red Burgundy best show their characteristic taste at slightly higher temperature, at a round 63-64 °F .
This is still 8-9 degrees less than room temperature. A glass of red wine drunk at too warm will taste dull, drunk too cold and it will taste sharp, even bitter.
Whites like chardonnay, sauvignon blanc, reisling are recommended to be drunk at around 47- 48 °F . This is way lower than the temperature in any kitchen.
Most people chill wine in the fridge next to all the food stuff.
But how long does it take for a bottle of room-temperature wine to reach the desired serving temperature in the fridge? It can take 30 minutes or longer.
Storing wines in an ordinary fridge is not recommended for several other reasons:
- temperature inside kitchen refrigerators is too cold for storing any wine
- humidity is too low -varies between 17 % 40 % which can cause the cork to dry and shrink therefore letting air along with food odors inside the bottle Around 50 80% humidity is required for longer term wine storage.
And dont put your wine in the freezer to get it chilled quickly! You may forget about it and waste a bottle of good wine.
TIP: For quick chilling get a 1-Bottle Wine Chiller or 2-bottle Wine Cooler.
You can also use them as warmers if you need a bottle of red from the wine cooler to be brought up to higher temperature.
What Is Special About Wine Fridge
Wine refrigerators are designed to maintain a consistent temperature and will not fluctuate dramatically in temperature, which is particularly important for cellaring wine. Additionally, wine refrigerators have humidity controlling features like heavy insulation and UV protecting glass to prevent light damage.
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Top 12 Best Wine Cooler Brands Ranked
Cool wine? Are you considering purchasing a wine cooler drink but not sure what brand and which style to choose? Do you want to purchase the best wine cooler drink that will maintain your wine at the ideal temperature for hours? This article will equip you with information on 12 of the top wine cooler brands available. As a connoisseur of fine wine, you want to choose the best wine cooler brands.
Finding wine cooling systems that not only fit your needs but also fit your budget can be tough. But youre in luck because weve put together a list of the 12 best and cheap wine coolers and drinks brands on the market. Its important only to drink the finest wines available. Good thing weve done all the hard work for you!
So You Got A Wine Fridge
Maybe you already have a wine cooler or you’re planning to get one soon. Before you go on a mad supermarket sweep filling it up, it’s time to think a bit about your wine-drinking habits.
Your wine fridge should hold the wine YOU want to drink. Don’t go out and buy a bunch of things because some magazine or the points on some shelf-talker told you to: taste as much as you can and buy the wine you like. Otherwise, you’re risking your hard-earned money on something that might disappoint you.
The wine you buy will fit into a few different categories:
- Weeknight wine: bottles you’d drink even if you’re not doing anything fancy, even if you don’t have guests.
- Dinner party wine: These are the bottles you want to share with friends, bottles that you’re likely to bring over to a friend’s house or serve when you’re cooking for a small seated crowd.
- Cocktail/dance party wine: This is the stuff you’re stocking for bigger, wilder gatherings.
- Special occasion wine: Bottles you’d open on an anniversary, birthday, promotion celebration, etc.
- Wine to age: This is the wine you’re cellaring longer term.
It’s time to think about each of these categories and what might fulfill your personal needs in each area.
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