If you’re a wine lover, then you know that it’s important to store your wine in the right conditions. Not only does this preserve the taste and quality of the wine, but it also helps the wine to age properly. In this blog post, we’ll discuss how to maintain your wine fridge temperature and some of the different types of coolers available on the market today. So whether you’re just starting out in wine collecting or you’re a seasoned pro, read on for some helpful tips!
So, you’ve finally purchased that wine fridge you’ve always wanted. Perhaps you’re doing research before purchasing the ideal wine refrigerator on Amazon.
You may have the correct wine chiller, but using the proper temp settings is just as essential. You don’t want to damage any of those precious bottles!
But what is the optimal wine fridge temperature?
That will be determined by the wines it holds and how you intend to utilize it. But don’t worry, we’ve prepared a simple tutorial for you below.
What Is the Correct Wine Storage Temperature?
The temperature and humidity at which wine is stored have a material influence on the quality of the beverage.
The truth is, storing wine is simple.
Consider a typical cellar, one located in a basement or inside an ancient brick mansion in the midst of a vineyard in Tuscany. What is your impression of the winery’s storage methods? Do you believe they have separate chambers for each sort of wine, and that these chambers are kept at different temperatures?
No, they don’t.
The temperature and humidity are controlled in every cellar, ensuring that all wines stay at the same cellar temperature. What does this imply? It implies you should exercise the same caution.
In fact, all types of wines must be kept at the same temperature (53.6°F – 57.2°F).
At temperatures below 36°F, the wine will not develop properly and may be stunted; keeping it at excessively high temperatures, on the other hand, will cause premature aging.
However, things vary when you want to cool down your wines before serving them.
Best Storage Temperature vs. Best Serving Temperature for Wine
When it comes to displaying and storing your wine collection, this is a crucial difference to recognize.
We discovered that all wines should be kept at a temperature of 53.6°F to 57.2°F.
Although most wine is served at room temperature, certain varieties must be offered cold.
At lower temperatures, reds have a more powerful flavor and aroma. Whites, sparkling, and rosé wines must be chilled as well.
Many people aren’t sure what the best storage temperature for their bottles is.
The temperature of red and white wines varies significantly. Furthermore, while they are stored at different temperatures, the serving and storage temperatures are usually inconsistent.
So, how do we reconcile this?
What Is the Best Wine Serving Temperature?
We’ve discovered that all wines may be kept in the same temperature range, but they must be served at distinct temperatures (based on their type).
Wines that have been aged in bottles may require longer periods to chill, so they should be warmed before serving. Some wines taste better at room temperature, therefore you’ll need to heat them up. While some taste the greatest chilled.
The general rule is that the lighter the wine, the colder it must be served.
This is where wine refrigerators can come in handy. Particularly those with multiple cooling zones.
A dual-zone wine refrigerator, for example, has two separate zones with different temperatures.
This allows you to keep one part of the red currant wine at serving temperature and another part of the white currant wine at serving temperature. Collectors may store wine in one area for long-term storage and serving wines in the other.
Let’s figure out what the ideal wine cooler temperature range is for serving wine.
Related: How to Store Wine at Home
Red Wine Serving Temperatures
Red wines respond favorably to being served at room temperature.
When the liquid is warmer, it exposes all of those delicious red wine nuances.
However, this does not mean you should serve it as though it were hot tea.
Red wine should be served at temperatures from 62°F to 68°F.
If you don’t have access to a wine fridge, chill the wine for 30 minutes in your regular refrigerator (if stored at room temperature) or warm it up for half an hour if it was kept in the refrigerator.
White Wine Serving Temperature
When chilled, white wine tastes much better than red wine.
White wine is typically light, refreshing, and commonly used in cocktails. It goes well with a variety of light meals.
White wine should be served at temperatures from 49°F to 55°F.
Ice should never be served in your glass of wine. Keep it in a wine bucket filled with ice to keep it at the proper temperature before serving.
Ice has no effect on your wine’s taste or fragrance, merely diluting it and destroying most of its characteristics and scents.
Rosé wine should be served at a similar chilled temperature as whites.
Sparkling Wine Serving Temperature
Champagne is a delicate, elegant wine that deserves its reputation as the world’s finest. It has rich aromas and flavors of ripe fruit and flowers, as well as notes of toast and oak.
Most sparkling wines are best served at the same temperature as Champagne.
It’s generally accepted that champagne should be served at 46.4°F to 50°F, the coldest of all wines.
If you don’t have a wine fridge, never put it in the freezer; the bubbles might cause the bottle to shatter.
You may chill the bottle in a wine bucket for half an hour or keep it in the refrigerator’s bottom drawer for four hours.
Serve wine in big, clear glasses rather than champagne flutes. The chill glass will alter the aroma and taste of the wine, causing you to lose some bubbles.
Refrigerator Temperature for Wine
With this in mind, what is the optimum temperature for your wine fridge? It’s debatable.
What is the significance of your collection? Is it to store wine or to keep it at drinking temperature?
Here are your options, as well as the suggested wine fridge temperatures:
Single Zone Wine Fridge Temperature Settings
Remember that a single zone wine fridge can only keep all the wine at one certain temperature. Set the temperature and all of the wine will be kept there.
The best temperature for a single-zone wine cooler is about 56° F (or 13° C).
This is the best storage temperature for all wines, and from here it’s simple to chill or warm up a bottle depending on the kind you enjoy. However, if you want to keep your bottles at drinking temperature, just use the information above to figure out what’s the best temperature for your particular vintage.
To summarize, a single zone wine refrigerator is ideal for storing:
- All of your wines at a single temperature
- Getting ready one sort of wine for serving
Dual Zone Wine Fridge Temperature Settings
A dual-zone wine fridge is more adaptable. In the same device, you may store and chill or warm up bottles.
If you want to keep one zone colder than the other, your dual zone wine cooler will enable a compartment to be warmer.
However, this isn’t a hard and fast rule; the manual will always provide information on which compartment should be warmer and what the maximum temperature difference between zones should be.
Settings for Red Wines
Set a zone for red wine at storage temperature (53.6°F – 57.2°F) and another zone at serving temperature (62°F – 68 °F).
At least a few hours before drinking, move the bottle from the storage to the warming up area.
Settings for White Wines
Set a zone for white wines at storage temperature (53.6°F to 57.2°F) and a separate zone at a lower serving temperature (49°F to 55 °F).
There’s a bit of overlap between the bottom of the storage temperature range and the top of the serving temperature range. This makes white wines much easier to store in a wine refrigerator.
The bottle may be moved from zone A to zone B a few hours before serving for reds, much as it can be done with whites.
Settings for Both Reds & Whites
Do you enjoy red and white wine? To differentiate your beverages, set the zones at a temperature slightly higher (reds) or lower (whites) than normal storage.
Remember, the ideal wine storage temperature varies somewhat (53.6°F – 57.2°F).
For the white, keep the temperature in the lower of the range around 53°F.
When it comes to reds, the upper storage temperature range of around 57 °F keeps the bottles closer to the serving temperature of (62 °F – 68 °F).
Best Wine Fridges for 2022
If you care about your wine collection, buying a wine refrigerator is required for maintaining your bottles safe and visible – much like a beer fridge would be for beer enthusiasts. Who knows when the next exciting virtual wine tasting at home will be?
Wine needs to be kept at a consistent temperature, but most of your house’s rooms are not able to do so. Red wines should be kept between 50 and 68 degrees Fahrenheit, according to taste and style.
The average cellar temperature is 55 degrees Fahrenheit, and whites and other chilled wines should be kept at a temperature of 42 to 50 degrees warmer than the typical temperature of a home refrigerator.
To allow for expansion, we recommend purchasing a fridge with at least twice the capacity of what you currently have. After that, it’s all about temperature: do you want a single-zone or dual-zone refrigerator? Here are some of the finest wine refrigerators on the market based on every sort of collector.
Our Picks
Best Overall: Frigidaire 38-Bottle Wine Cooler at Amazon
- dual-zone fridge with a frostless, UV-protected tinted glass window, stainless steel frame, reversible door, LED lighting and display, and energy-efficient fan system.
Best Compact: NutriChef 15-Bottle Refrigerator at Amazon
- With sturdy chrome wine racks that can carry up to 15 common-size bottles, this freestanding unit may be used on the counter or on the floor.
Best Single-Zone: Kalamera Built-in Wine Cooler at Amazon
- If your collection is mostly reds, this sleek single-temperature refrigerator may be the best option.
Best Slim: EdgeStar Built-In Wine Cooler at Amazon
- This single zone wine refrigerator from EdgeStar is a little, reliable machine that can fit anywhere thanks to its simple, sleek appearance.
Best Large: TYLZA 154 Bottle Dual Zone Freestanding/Built-In Wine Cellar at Amazon
- Once you get into the 150-bottle range, a large single zone wine fridge is a smart idea for growing collections.
Final Thoughts
Wine can be difficult to store and chill since it is a product of nature. While the aforementioned temperatures are considered safe, you’ll have your own preferences as well.
For example, the suggested serving temperature for my favorite Merlot is 61 °F – 66 °F, and I prefer it to be slightly cooler.
Many people also enjoy a Pinot Gris that is just a touch warmer than it should be.
My message is that if you’re not sure what the best temperature for wine storage is, try it out and see what works best for you. After all, it’s your wine-enjoy it however you like! Just be sure to drink responsibly.`
However, don’t forget that if you just want to store your wine for a long period of time, keeping it in the 53.6°F – 57.2°F range is ideal.
Cheers!