| Let us say that you have finally decided to get serious | | | | stays away from incandescent bulbs and for darkly |
| about having and properly maintaining a wine collection. | | | | tinted glass doors. It is pleasing to the eye to look at |
| However, when thinking about having several bottles | | | | your wine collection through a tinted front door glass, |
| of wine on hand for future use and aging them to | | | | especially if your collection is lit with a soft blue LED |
| perfection, you know your refrigerator is a poor choice | | | | light. |
| for storing your wine. An investment in a wine cooler is | | | | Finally, wine does not like a "shake, rattle and roll" |
| an investment in improving your enjoyment of wine by | | | | existence. If you are aging your wines carefully, you will |
| storing it properly. | | | | want to maintain them in as undisturbed condition as |
| In your decision making process, you decided on a size | | | | possible. Thermoelectric wine cellars operate on a |
| (e.g., 24 bottle capacity), a specific application (e.g., | | | | cooling system that is vibration free and are |
| counter top, free standing or under counter wine | | | | eco-friendly. Standard compressor models can |
| cooler) and color scheme (e.g., black cabinet with | | | | operate better when indoor ambient temperature |
| stainless steel door trim). Now all you have to do is to | | | | fluctuations are a concern. |
| go buy one. There are many other critical options that | | | | Additional contributions to wine disturbance are a |
| you should consider and at the same time recognize | | | | function of the wine shelving you select. Many wine |
| that they incrementally will add to the cost of your | | | | bottle coolers come with racking systems that are |
| wine cooler. | | | | made of metal, vinyl coated metal or wood. Mostly, |
| A key consideration that should be a part of your final | | | | these racking systems can be removed for cleaning, |
| decision-making is the need to secure your wine | | | | but essentially are designed to be stationary in the |
| collection. If you have children, you do not want them | | | | wine cooler. Some wine coolers now come with |
| opening and closing the wine cooler or messing with | | | | slide-out, glide-out or rollout shelving. This type of |
| the bottles that are so tenderly cradled within it. For | | | | shelving is designed to allow access to your wine |
| that matter, you may be in a situation that your family | | | | collection by merely pulling the shelf out. This allows |
| or friends might have an uncontrolled need to | | | | you to easily and gently remove the bottle that you |
| investigate for themselves what you so carefully have | | | | want without the potential to disturb other stored |
| stored away. If security is an issue, you will need to | | | | bottles. |
| purchase a locking wine cooler. There is nothing like a | | | | Deciding to buy a wine cooler is a good first step in |
| locked door to maintain your collection in the | | | | protecting and improving your overall enjoyment of |
| undisturbed condition that good wine aging requires. | | | | your favorite vintage. The ability to entertain your |
| Wines should be stored away from light. Ultraviolet light | | | | friends and family with wine at just the right |
| (UV), especially with clear bottled wines, will damage | | | | temperature will make them envious. However, do not |
| your wine. Sparkling wines are even more sensitive to | | | | slight that initial investment of a wine cooler by not |
| UV rays. Exposure to light may give wine unpleasant | | | | investing in the additional features that will take your |
| aromas and eventually ruin it. Wine refrigerators are | | | | wine storage from the minimal to the ultimate. You |
| made with a broad array of different interior lighting | | | | may not appreciate that investment now, but you will |
| systems and glass door tints. Look for lighting that | | | | as time moves forward. |