5 Best Wine Fridges of 2023

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With adjustable shelving, accurate temperatures, and a sleek design, this wine fridge fits into any situation and will keep your wine at an optimal temperature. Read More

The Vinotemp provides great temperature precision and a unique design that lets you show off your wine bottles. Read More

This is a sturdy wine fridge with reliable shelving and good storage capacity. Read More

A solid under-the-counter wine fridge with good storage capacity, but like other wine fridges in this price range, its temperatures ran a few degrees warmer than its setting. Read More

We love the NewAir for its interior details including easy-to-use wood shelves and LED lighting, but we weren't as impressed with its exterior build. Read More

Updated July 6, 2023

Whether you're aging bottles in a wine cellar, want easy kitchen access, or only have space in the corner of a small apartment, a wine fridge is a great way to chill, store, and protect your favorite reds and whites (and rosés and sparklings, too). But deciding which cooler to purchase can be just as tricky as creating the perfect pairing.

Top connoisseurs, sommeliers, and high-end restaurants often gravitate to brands like EuroCave to keep their bottles at ideal aging and serving temperatures, spending thousands of dollars for precise temperature and humidity controls. Fortunately, for average oenophiles, there are more affordable options. Sacrificing on price may mean these fridges are never quite perfect, however, your bottles will still stay in an optimal temperature range, be well-protected, and will fit into any living space.

We extensively tested wine refrigerators in Reviewed’s labs. We recorded temperatures and assessed build quality and storage capacity. We found that the wine refrigerator is the Wine Enthusiast 32-Bottle Dual-Zone MAX Compressor Wine Cooler (available at Wine Enthusiast) . However, if you're more finicky about serving and storing wine temperatures, the Vinotemp 42-Bottle Touchscreen Wine Cooler (available at Amazon) offers better temperature precision and a unique interior design.

The Wine Enthusiast 32-Bottle Dual-Zone MAX is the best wine fridge we tested.

Our pick for best wine cooler, the Wine Enthusiast 32-bottle Dual-Zone MAX, does a lot with a small space. It's well-crafted, keeps bottles at appropriate temperatures, and thanks to its tinted glass door, it easily fits into any décor.

This freestanding cooler includes dual temperature zones and removable sturdy chrome racks. There's an easy-to-use temperature control panel with LED display, and during our bottle stuffing tests, we were actually able to fit a few more than its promised 32 bottles.

While most of the shelving racks are set up to store bottles in a traditional way, the bottom shelf is shaped like a bin. This lets you show off your favorite labels or stack a few daily drinkers for easier access. A few of the shelves can also be removed if you prefer to stack more of your bottles (this can be especially helpful for Champagne bottles made from thicker glass or larger format bottles).

We were also pleasantly surprised with the temperature performance. Both zones can be set between 41°F and 64°F using a touch control panel on the top of the fridge. With one temperature zone set at 60°F and the other set at 55°F, the temperature of the wine in the 60°F zone was spot on. However, the temperature variations registered fluctuations of 2-3 degrees in the cooler 55°F zone.

Aesthetically, this is a sleek-looking fridge. The tinted glass door appears mirrored from the outside.

Using compressor cooling technology, it is energy efficient and only made the slightest bit of noise only if the door was opened. There's interior LED lighting mounted at the top of the cavity, but it doesn't provide much light when it's stuffed with bottles.

Good storage capacity

Accurate temperatures

Minimal lighting

The Vinotemp 42-Bottle Touchscreen Wine Cooler is a great choice for those who want temperature precision.

If maintaining accurate temperatures is your top priority, the Vinotemp 42-bottle Touchscreen is the most reliable model for you.

During our testing, we found that the Vinotemp did the best job cooling the wine to the set temperature. The temperatures of the bottles in the middle of the fridge were a very close match to our set temperature of 55°F. Meanwhile, the bottles in the top and bottom racks were only off by a few degrees. The single-zone Vinotemp also has a great temperature range, allowing you to set it from anywhere between 41°F and 68°F.

Another reason you may enjoy the Vinotemp is the way it stores the bottles. The racks are set up to lay your bottles from front-to-back. The label of the front bottle stays front and center to show it off.

If you drink a lot of the same type of wine, this storage method is great. If you prefer drinking a mix of producers and styles, it's a little cumbersome. You may have to dig to find a bottle tucked four bottles deep on a shelf.

While the metal wire shelves easily slide in and out, it felt a little precarious when a fully-stocked shelf was extended. During testing, we feared some bottles might fall to the floor if we didn't help support the extended shelf.

Using our random assortment of sparkling, red, and white wine bottles, the fridge held 41 of the stated 42 bottles. Remember, bottle counts often refer to storing the same shape and style of bottle.

This freestanding, nearly-silent cooler also includes a lock. It’s a nice addition to keep little ones (or perhaps roommates) from accessing your stash.

Wide temperature setting

Accurate temperatures

Lock

Shelving needs support while extended

This Magic Chef 44-bottle Dual-Zone is a Home Depot best seller and can be installed as a built-in or used as a freestanding unit. With its more industrial aesthetic, this sturdy fridge will look at home as a built-in. It could work under a bar, island or kitchen counter.

For its price, we're impressed with the number of bottles it can hold. When filled with a mix of bottle shapes and sizes, the bottles didn't feel like they were jammed inside. However, it took some maneuvering to ensure the different size bottles would fit.

This unit does not include adjustable shelving, but for its layout, it's fine. We never doubted whether the stainless-steel shelves would support the bottles. Also, opening the stainless steel door over and over again with its horizontal handle was easy.

The control panel, located inside the unit, took a few minutes to understand. But the dual zones provide separate storage areas. Unlike some of the more silent models we tested, we noted a small hum coming from inside the cavity.

In our temperature tests, the Magic Chef ran a little warm. We set the two zones to 60°F and 55°F. However, the wine in those two zones registered average temperatures of 61°F to 62°F and 58°F to 59°F, respectively.

Great sturdy build

Good storage capacity

Industrial look and feel

Temperature runs a few degrees warm

This Frigidaire is a really nice choice if you're in the market for a built-in fridge. (It can also work as a freestanding cooler.) It's a beautiful, sturdy, well-built appliance.

We love its 52-bottle storage capacity. (In wine storage, more is more, right?!). With a mix of differently-sized bottles, this fridge comfortably held 50 bottles during our testing.

The Frigidaire features a reversible door and one temperature zone that can be set between 41°F and 64°F. Also, one of the shelves can be converted to hold 12-ounce cans. It’s convenient if you enjoy canned wine, or if there are other-kinds-of-beverage lovers in the house.

The wood-trimmed wire racks were easy to pull in and out, and were among my favorites of everything we tested. The extended shelves easily support their bottles. Plus, there was no fighting or struggling with the shelves to pull or push them in and out of the fridge.

Temperature testing revealed that this fridge runs a bit warm. When set to 55°F, the wine temperatures typically ranged from 59°F to 62°F. The temperatures are largely consistent, though, so you can reach your desired temperature by turning the Frigidaire down a few degrees.

Reversible front door

Great shelving

Good storage

Temperatures run warm

NewAir’s savvy social media presence markets stylish coolers and beverage centers. The new brand’s marketing left a big impression. But when we set up the fridge in Reviewed's lab, my excitement faded a little.

While still very good-looking, the outer shell materials didn't feel as solid as the other appliances we evaluated. During testing, opening the door nearly tipped the fridge over.

The interior is a different story. The wood shelves are beautiful, sturdy, and easy to pull in and out. In fact, it had me wondering if wooden shelves might be preferable for all fridges.

There’s blue LED lighting throughout the cavity, rather than just at the top. The lighting still feels mostly decorative, but it was more helpful for finding bottles in the dark than many of the other fridges we tested.

In our temperature testing, this NewAir ran a bit warm, like many others. We set its two zones to 55°F and 50°F. The wine inside those two zones had average temperatures of 60°F and 55°F to 56°F, respectively.

Wood shelves

Good lighting

Includes lock

Not sturdy

Temperatures ran warm.

The Vinotemp and Wine Enthusiast wine refrigerators rose to the top of our list after testing for temperature, capacity and build.

Hi! I'm Alicia Cypress, former managing editor at Reviewed. But my true passion is wine. I'm WSET (Wine and Spirits Educational Trust) certified, which means I've formally studied the subject, and when I'm not focused on my day job, I keep up with wine industry trends. As an apartment-dwelling wine collector, I rely on a separate fridge to ensure my bottles stay in tip-top condition.

Reviewed’s former Senior Scientist Julia MacDougall, who oversaw all of Reviewed’s home appliance testing, devised the testing for this guide. She was also responsible for evaluating the fridges and coolers from a temperature and build perspective, using her years of experience evaluating refrigerators.

We tested up to four fridges at a time in our refrigerator lab.

After unpacking and installing each appliance, we set the temperature in each and then let them run and calibrate for more than 24 hours prior to further testing. This is similar to the way we test regular refrigerators. This gives the coolant time to circulate and helps ensure each product is working properly.

For dual-zone fridges, we set the two zones to either 60°F and 55°F or 55°F and 50°F, depending on the temperature limits in each unit. For single-zone fridges, we set the temperature to 55°F.

To measure the temperature inside the bottles, we placed wireless temperature sensors in tiny plastic baggies, suspended them inside screwtop Chardonnay bottles, and placed four bottles at four different locations inside each cooler.

After three days, we pulled the temperature data from the bottles. We used the information to assess each fridge’s temperature accuracy (ability to hit a specific temperature) and temperature consistency (ability to maintain similar temperatures throughout the fridge cavity).

During our testing, a temperature probe was lowered into wine bottles with screw-top closures to measure wine temperatures.

If a cooler is both accurate and consistent, then wine temperatures throughout the entire cavity should be close to the temperature setting, and stay that way as long as the appliance is running.

Consistency is important. Without it, the overall average temperature may match the target, or the temperature may be right in certain places. But the fridge could have extreme temperature swings, or some parts of the fridge cavity may vary wildly from the temperature in other parts.

We also assessed each unit with respect to user-focused criteria such as ease of use, build quality, and wine bottle capacity.

The first thing to know is you'll always need something with more capacity than you think. If you’re considering a small 12-bottle countertop model, go for one that holds 18. Considering a 24-bottle model? Odds are that once you’re using it you'll wish you bought the 32-bottle version or beyond.

For budding collectors, a too-small wine fridge is a common, almost inevitable frustration. Most fridges are available in multiple sizes. For this guide, we chose models to test based on which provided the greatest value, as prices will fluctuate depending on size. If a model appeals to you, but it's not in the size you want, check the retailer for more options.

Wine bottle shapes can vary depending on what kind of wine is inside.

When a manufacturer claims a cellar can hold a set number of bottles, that's usually based on storing all same-sized bottles (usually Bordeaux-syle bottles). So a 32-bottle fridge may actually hold less if you—like many vino lovers—have a wine collection of different styles and producers.

While a standard bottle holds 750 milliliters of liquid, bottle shapes and sizes vary greatly. In some cases, it's traditional for wines made from specific grapes or certain regions to be bottled in specific-shaped bottles. It’s sometimes even required by a country or region's laws. The next region over may stipulate something completely different.

A Bordeaux bottle has high, structured shoulders, while a Burgundy bottle has a longer neck with softer shoulders and a rounder midsection. Riesling bottles have even longer necks and are taller and more slender. Champagne bottles may be similar to Burgundy bottles, but have a slightly wider base and thicker glass used to protect it from exploding. That glass thickness will matter if shelves are too close together.

In our testing, we purposely tested storage capacity with a random assortment of 750-milliliter bottles. We found coolers with adjustable shelving and removable racks are generally more helpful to fit different-sized bottles. It also makes it easier to store Magnums or other large-format bottles.

Most of the appliances we evaluated include compressor technology. This technology is recommended for midsize units because it can cool down quickly and maintain a wide temperature range. The fridge also won't be impacted by the room temperature. Thermoelectric wine coolers may be more energy-efficient, but the external temperature of the room can influence how cold the fridge will get.

In my early wine-buying experience, I thought having dual temperature zones would be smart, so I could keep my white wines a little cooler than my red wines. As time went on, I wound up setting both sides of my 48-bottle cooler to the same temperature. I later upgraded to a 92-bottle refrigerable with a single zone, and haven’t missed the second zone.

You may not need two zones, but dual-zone fridges can be helpful based on your priorities. THey can help keep some bottles at a perfect serving temperature while keeping others at a more consistent aging temperature for long-term storage.

Location is the key factor here. If you're installing it under a cabinet in your kitchen or bar area, a built-in model is best. These models will have ventilation systems in front (usually at the bottom of the unit), so that the warm air it emits doesn't get trapped and heat up the unit. Look for coolers where you can configure the door to open from either side, so you can customize it to your space.

Freestanding coolers are great for those who plan to place them in a basement cellar, living room, office, bedroom (no judgment!), or anywhere else! The ventilation areas will often be found on the sides or the back. Be careful to leave several inches of space around the side with the vent, and don’t push it directly against a wall.

Still not sure? Fortunately, many built-in models can also be used as freestanding fridges. The format won't impact the cooling systems, it's mostly an aesthetic choice.

Alicia Cypress

Managing Editor

Alicia Cypress oversaw Reviewed's "The Best Right Now" product guides. She’s a veteran journalist, spending her career before Reviewed at The Washington Post and NPR. In her free time, she studies and writes about wine.

Our team is here for one purpose: to help you buy the best stuff and love what you own. Our writers, editors, and lab technicians obsess over the products we cover to make sure you're confident and satisfied. Have a different opinion about something we recommend? Email us and we'll compare notes.