January 8, 2021

Even a Small Wine Fridge Can Deliver Big Benefits

32_Gif_Tribrand_Wine_Cheers_Low_Resolution

If you’re like many of us that work here at the Clarke showroom, you appreciate wine.

You might only drink wine on the weekends, or perhaps you savor a celebratory glass at the close of each workday. You may feel like you’re an educated wine connoisseur or simply an avid enthusiast who knows a bit about wine and wishes they knew more. No doubt you have at least a few special bottles on deck waiting for the next opportunity to be opened.

Regardless, if you appreciate a good bottle of wine like we do, you probably know that it’s important to store wine properly. When kept in an environment with optimal conditions, a nice wine will almost always meet or exceed your expectations. When not, however, it will rarely deliver on its promises of taste, aroma, and complexity. This can be especially frustrating when you’ve just opened a special bottle you had been saving for a special moment, only to find it spoiled.

Why Good Wines Go Bad

Wines usually end up going bad because people store them improperly, often in a conventional refrigerator, which simply isn’t designed to keep wine at its peak. Here are a few reasons you shouldn’t store a good bottle of wine in the same place you store your other groceries: First, refrigerators are usually kept at or below 40 degrees Fahrenheit, while a bottle of wine is best stored at a warmer temperature — usually the temperature at which you wish to serve it, which varies for different types of wines but is usually above 40 degrees.

Conventional refrigerators also don’t have the ability to keep bottles at the consistent level of moderate humidity they need to prevent corks from drying out, which is a common cause of wine spoiling. And that “hum” you hear from your old school fridge? It’s often accompanied by mechanical vibrations, which can damage a wine’s character. This is particularly problematic for more delicate wines, like pinot noirs.

These are the reasons that chefs, restaurant owners, and wine investors buy high quality refrigeration units designed specifically for wine storage. They are willing to acquire the best, knowing that a large, professional grade wine refrigerator is well worth their investment. You and me, however? We want the advanced wine storage capabilities the pros count on every day — but we don’t have space to accommodate another large appliance, nor do we want one.

Today’s small, but mighty, wine refrigerators are here to save the day and meet our specific wine-loving needs. Finally, we don’t have to sacrifice quality or space to gain top-notch preservation of the wines we value so much.

The Joys of Having a High Quality, Small Wine Fridge

If you’re a lover of wine, a small wine refrigerator like those offered by Sub-Zero will be a beautiful, useful addition to your home. It will protect your wine from the common hazards of a conventional refrigerator, including excess heat, fluctuating humidity, and mechanical vibrations. It will keep your bottles of red and white at the perfect temperatures for serving, so you will always be able to experience the nuanced flavors and aromas each winemaker intended.

Having a high quality, small wine fridge will also ensure you are “wine-ready” for any occasion — whether that’s to sip a glass in an overstuffed chair while you read a book, share some bubbles with good friends who stop by unannounced, or throw a fabulous party to celebrate a loved one’s special milestone. If you enjoy drinking wine and entertaining, why wouldn’t you have a small wine fridge?

And be assured that today’s home-friendly wine refrigerators don’t require a lot of real estate. In our showrooms, for example, we can show you several models manufactured by Sub-Zero, one of the most trusted makers of refrigeration appliances. Their built-in, two-foot wide, undercounter wine-fridge stays tucked away but keeps wine at your fingertips. Their freestanding wine frige takes up a mere four square feet of floor space, giving you flexibility to place it in any room. And if you’re designing or remodeling your kitchen and want a slim, built-in wine refrigerator, Sub-Zero’s full height designer wine storage unit can easily fit in a narrow space at only 18 inches wide.

Sub-Zero offers a wide variety of options when it comes to wine storage. More than your average small wine fridge, these award-winning wine storage units bring the benefits of advanced preservation technologies to the wine enthusiast at home to help:

  • Defeat Heat: Excessive heat and unstable temperatures harm wine. Sub-Zero maintains wine’s ideal storage environment in independent zones, ensuring both red and white can be served at their optimal temperatures.
  • Control Humidity: Too little moisture in the air makes corks dry and shrink, causing wine to oxidize. Too much, and corks and wine labels can deteriorate. Sub-Zero’s dual evaporators — one for each storage zone — maintain steady, moderate humidity.
  • Shield Wine: Light can affect the aging of wine, especially the invisible ultraviolet (UV) light that can penetrate wine bottles when stored improperly. Sub-Zero’s UV-resistant, bronze-tinted glass shields wine to preserve its good taste.
  • Reduce Vibration: Mechanical vibration can damage delicate wines, such as pinot noir. Sub-Zero’s quiet compressor lets wines rest undisturbed. Bottles are cradled in rustproof, coated-steel shelves that glide smoothly in and out for easy access.

Sub-Zero’s wine storage units are designed to not only enhance your wine experience but also the design of your room . They merge seamlessly with other Sub-Zero and Wolf appliances and can be customized to fit your home’s design aesthetic, whether that’s with the classic, clean look of stainless steel or through custom panels that coordinate with your existing cabinetry.

Sub-Zero: A Trusted Brand

To age well and maintain its complexity, character, and taste, a good bottle of wine needs to be stored properly. If you truly want the best environment for your valued bottles of wine, don’t settle for less than Sub-Zero.

Founded in 1926, Sub-Zero is a leader in both innovation and design of refrigeration. A long-standing reputation for excellence, passion for best-in-class customer service, and an industry-leading warranty puts them head and shoulders above any other manufacturer of high-end kitchen appliances.

If you’re in the market for a small wine fridge or envisioning an impressive wall of wine storage, a visit to a Clarke Showroom in Massachusetts or Connecticut will allow you to compare the widest selection of world-class wine refrigerators available. Schedule an appointment to find the perfect model for you.