Why You Need A Wine Fridge This Christmas

Christmas is quickly approaching, and naturally, that means there’ll be plenty of wine bottles knocking about.

Wine fridges are a great way to store your wine, no matter how big or small your collection. But what exactly does a wine fridge do? And why do you need a wine fridge this Christmas?

Keep reading to learn more about wine fridges, and why you’re sure to benefit from having a wine fridge this festive season.

What Does A Wine Fridge Do?

Before you consider purchasing a wine fridge for the Christmas period, then you should learn more about what a wine fridge actually does.

You may understand that a wine fridge stores your wine in the right way - but why does your wine need storing correctly?

First of all, wine is best stored (and served) at certain temperatures. In the long term, wine is best stored at temperatures between 11°C and 14°C.

If you store your wine at higher temperatures, then it may speed up the ageing process - causing your wine to develop unwanted and unpleasant flavours and aromas.

Too-high temperatures can also cook your wine - which may be okay when it comes to mulled wine, but when regular wine is kept in heat, it may end up tasting bitter and sour, and you won’t be able to enjoy the natural flavours in the wine’s body.

On the other hand, you should also avoid storing your wine at temperatures that are too low. If your wine freezes, then it will lose its natural flavours and aromas.

Wine coolers store your wine at the right temperature. Some wine fridges also feature dual temperature zones, which gives you more control over the temperature.

You can store your reds and whites in separate compartments at different temperatures, or you can store wine in the long term at one set temperature, and then wine for serving at another.

Secondly, your wine needs to be protected against humidity - which, unfortunately, many people overlook when storing their wine collection.

Wine is best stored at humidity levels between 55% and 75%. Your wine bottles need a little humidity to keep the cork moist. However, too much humidity can dampen the cork and allow oxygen to enter the bottle - which can quickly destroy the wine.

It can also cause moisture to accumulate around the bottle, destroying the labels - which can be bad for wine collectors and investors who plan on selling the wine after it’s sufficiently aged.

Quality wine fridges can protect your wine from humidity by regulating the humidity levels in the fridge’s interior. Some wine coolers will even sound an alarm that will alert you if the humidity levels fall out of the desired range.

Finally, wine coolers protect your wine from sunlight. Sunlight can damage your wine in just a couple of hours.

Wine fridges with a solid door can offer complete darkness for your wine, and wine coolers with glass doors that are UV-treated or tinted can still protect your wine. Wine fridges with glass doors allow you to view your collection without having to open the door.

You’ll find three designs of wine fridges while browsing the market - freestanding, built-in, and fully integrated.

Freestanding wine fridges stand freely, and you can place them anywhere in your home. However, built-in and integrated wine fridges can only usually be placed in kitchen space as they’re designed to be installed into kitchen cabinet space.

Why Do I Need A Wine Fridge This Christmas?

Christmas is all about spending time with loved ones - friends, family, and even your neighbours.

However, Christmas has also become synonymous with wine - wine is served with Christmas dinner, mulled wine is enjoyed on cold winter afternoons and evenings, and of course, a glass of fizz is a key part of Christmas morning!

But why exactly do you need a wine fridge at Christmas? Well, the main reason is that a wine fridge will keep your wine at the perfect serving temperature.

If you have guests over on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, Boxing Day, or New Year’s Eve, you don’t want to serve them a warm glass of Pinot or Prosecco, do you?

A wine cooler can ensure that your wine remains at the perfect temperature. You can place a wine cooler in your dining room or kitchen, so you can simply grab a nice, cool bottle and serve it to your guests.

Your regular fridge will most likely be full over the Christmas period, and you won’t find room to chill your wine there. If you store your wine in your kitchen fridge for too long, it may also start tasting and smelling like the food in your fridge. Have you ever tried sprout or onion flavoured wine? It’s surely not pleasant.

You may also be gifted wine for Christmas, or have wine leftover from the festive season. You can’t just keep your wine on your kitchen counter! If you leave your wine in sunlight, it can undergo unwanted chemical reactions that can negatively affect the way the wine ages, leaving a sour, bitter taste and unpleasant aromas.

Wine is best stored at certain temperatures - if you want your leftover Christmas wine to last, then a wine fridge is the best way to ensure this.

If you get gifted or you treat yourself to an expensive bottle of wine this Christmas, then you want to store it appropriately. Wine fridges offer the perfect solution when it comes to ageing wine. You simply set the desired temperature, and let the wine fridge do the work for you.

Wine fridges can also make the perfect Christmas gift for any wine lover. If you’re struggling to think of a gift for somebody who loves wine (other than just buying them their favourite bottle!), then why not buy them a quality wine fridge?

Being gifted an array of wine during the festive period is great, but it can be hard trying to find an efficient cooling system that’s able to store a variety of different-shaped bottles.

At Elite Wine Refrigeration, we provide customers with a plethora of wine-cooling solutions that are suitable to store wine bottles of all shapes and sizes. 

Vin Garde is a truly British brand with roots in the wine storage industry dating back 20 years. If you need a wine cooling system for different-shaped wine bottles, look no further than our Vin Garde collection. To find out more information about Vin Garde, reach out to a member of our team today.