Integrating A Wine Fridge Into Your Kitchen Island
Before you begin to look at purchasing wine fridges online or in-store, you need to understand your household and where the capacity lies. In some cases, a kitchen island may be the best place to install a new wine cooler. Although this preservation option is extremely high-performing for all your favourite brands of wine, it can also take up a considerable amount of room - especially if you have a large wine collection.
Learning the ins and outs of wine coolers is essential before you make your final decision of purchasing. In this blog, we intend to aid you in learning more about wine fridges and what it takes to install the cooler into your home kitchen island.
Wine Fridges Explained
Whether this is a freestanding wine cooler, integrated wine cooler or under-counter wine cooler - each wine cooler has similar smart features. However, each type of wine cooler is designed to be installed in a particular way - for example, freestanding wine coolers can’t be placed in the same place as an integrated wine fridge.
A wine fridge unit is specifically manufactured to preserve your wine at the peak conditions needed for the best wine drinking experience. Everything that can possibly go wrong that affects the aroma, taste and appearance of your wine is protected by these multi-size wine fridges.
For example, the temperature of your wine at room temperature could cause it to age rapidly (and poorly!). Whereas, in a wine cooler - you can set it to its most optimal temperature. Factors such as sunlight and vibrations are also protected by a wine cooler, so you don’t have to stress about the chemical reactions damaging your wine tasting.
Between 11°C and 14°C is the perfect temperature for most wines to be stored at. Short, mid or long-term storage can be achieved in any circumstance using a wine fridge too, which is important for serial wine connoisseurs to understand for their collection.
Nowadays, there are wine coolers that have been taken to the next level. When wine coolers were first designed, they were mostly single-zone wine fridges (which can only be stored at one temperature). Whereas, more recently, there are dual-zone wine coolers and even multi-zone wine coolers available on the market, full of wine-preserving and functional features such as humidity control, door locks, and LED lighting.
Our Guide to Integrating a Wine Fridge in Your Kitchen
When having a kitchen island with a wine fridge installed, ensuring that you have made the necessary measurements and understand what your household can deal with is the most important factor. If you order a wine cooler without any thought into where it is going to go - it may be wasted (due to it not being able to fit anywhere). Then, you would have to go through the full refund process which is ultimately not what anyone wants.
You should also steer clear of any kitchen appliances that generate heat or vibrations - for example, washing machines, microwaves or ovens. This could essentially ruin your wine’s chemical balance and cause the ageing of your wine to speed up.
Overall, verifying that you have valid space, whilst also observing what type of wine cooler would suit your kitchen island the most is key. If you have space under a counter, then a built-in wine fridge may be ideal for you and so on. However, for a seamless, modern look, or to hide your wine fridge in your home, why not opt for a fully-integrated model?
Knowing this, you will need to understand the key features and benefits of each wine cooler to gain knowledge of installation. Here are the opposing wine coolers, so you can choose the best option for your household:
Built-In Wine Cooler
The unique feature of a built-in wine cooler is that it won’t take up as much room when walking around your kitchen. As it is built into a cabinet or under a counter - it provides more depth and width to make up for the lack of height. This is used as a way to store similar amounts of wine, even though they don’t look like they have a large capacity.
You can find wine fridges with glass doors or solid doors. The glass door and handle are visible from the front - meanwhile, you will not be able to view the rest of the wine fridge in its entirety. In essence, you will still be able to view your collection of wine, whilst also presenting a stylish finish in your modern-day kitchen.
A downfall to this process is that it has to be built into a precise measurement - leaving optimal room for airflow (protects your wine fridge from overheating). Most built-in wine fridges will need around 0.5cm of space around the perimeter of the design for an effective installation.
If you don’t trust yourself with the measurements, there is no stress. Calling a professional to seek help with this is not a problem. This way, you will not be worrying about the possibility of it not fitting in your desired space. After the installation process, visitors will be blown away by the new addition to your kitchen’s aesthetic!
Freestanding Wine Cooler
Unlike a built-in wine cooler, freestanding wine coolers can be shifted around your kitchen area. If you have multiple places on your kitchen island where your freestanding model could go, then you could easily switch between them.
This versatility serves well in other areas such as size. For example, you could invest in a freestanding model that will allow storage of up to 25 bottles of wine - or a freestanding model that can store over 100 bottles!
If you don’t feel like storing the freestanding wine fridge in your kitchen, then that is fine. Luckily, if you have any other dark spaces (indoor or outdoor) with sufficient space - it is possible to place a wine fridge there. You can even place a wine fridge in a home gym! However, ensuring it has at least 3 inches around the sides and back of your fridge for high-performing airflow is vital. On top of that, you must designate at least 12 inches above your freestanding model.
Fully Integrated Wine Cooler
The similarity between built-in models and fully integrated models is relatively close. Nonetheless, a fully integrated model is best designed for floating kitchen spaces. Countertops (on the floor) are more for built-in models, whilst fully integrated wine coolers can be enclosed into your kitchen cabinets.
For modernised kitchens, this is the sleekest creative of them all, as they offer a subtle, yet shiny visual appearance. Whether you have a kitchen filled with marble tile designs, wood or any material for that matter - it is sure to look impressive in any scenario.
As for installation, it can be complicated. Therefore, seeking professional help is your best bet for the greatest outcome. If you’re looking for a wine cooler in colours such as grey, black, white, etc for an affordable price - view your options from our wide selection of wine coolers in your country, today!
