There's only two choices when it comes to the type of door on your wine cooler or wine cabinet, solid doors that let in 0% of UV rays and glass doors, which on the whole are double or triple glazed and UV protected and let in less than 1% of UV rays. However, the difference between the two options is not solely down to UV light.
The choice of glass door or solid door may matter to you for several reasons. Aesthetically, many wine lovers prefer a glass door because it's more attractive and gives the ability to showcase your wine, whilst those with large and expensive collections looking to mature the wine over the longer term may prefer a solid door to ensure 100% that UV light is blocked.
The decision may also be impacted by the location your wine cabinet will occupy in your home. Those installing a wine cooler in a kitchen almost always choose glass doors because of their attractive nature. Those installing a wine cabinet in a garage already have a darkened room, low on UV rays so may in this case opt for the aesthetic option of the glass door.
Finally, for us Brits living in the UK where the UV index rarely gets above 5/10 even in summer, your wine is far less likely to suffer UV damage than in Spain, Italy and southern France. However, and rightly so, those with large and expensive collections often do not like to take the risk with their investment, no matter how small, and opt for solid doors.
Which wine cabinet brands offer solid doors?
Several brands we carry offer solid doors including EuroCave, Artevino, Climadiff, La Sommeliere, Avintage and Liebherr. Of all these brands, the two most synonymous with long term wine maturation would be Climadiff and Artevino.
Can I choose a wine cooler and then choose the door type?
Most wine cooler models are either solid door OR glass door but a few manufacturers do also give a choice with the unit, namely Climadiff or Artevino wine cabineta. With the Artevino units you can choose which kind of door you want to order as every single unit is bespoke.
What are the advantages of a solid door wine cabinet?
Advantages of solid door wine cabinets include total protection from UV light, greater protection against outside temperature fluctuations and less potential issues with condensation in the wine cabinet.
What are the advantages of a glass door wine cabinet?
The advantages of glass door wine cabinets are the ability to display the bottles, the ability to see the bottles before opening the door and thus locate the bottles faster. Glass door wine cabinets typically come with more shelves so less bottle stacking is required. The units generally come with more features like sliding shelves or LED lighting and for restaurants, being able to display the bottle labels encourages purchase.
Are solid doors on wine cabinets cheaper?
Generally yes, and the difference can be as much as a few hundred pounds. Solid doors cost less to produce than glass doors which also need to be treated, so if price is a factor, a solid door would be the better option.
Are solid doors on wine cabinets heavier?
Glass doors on wine cabinets will also add a bit of weight to the unit as the double/triple panes are, generally, heavier than a solid door.
Which customer types prefer glass doors?
Restaraunts, wine merchants and bars and those installing the wine cooler into a kitchen almost always choose glass doors.
Which is our top selling glass door wine cabinet?
Premium brand Swisscave offer a well priced premium, full size, glass door wine cabinet which has been popular for a few years now, the Swisscave WL455F is a single zone wine cooler that can accommodate around 200 bottles, with a winter system it can be built in to your kitchen cabinetry or can be housed in an outbuilding like a garage.
The new model WL455F is the most popular Swisscave Classic Edition in the range due to its large bottle capacity and premium features. The new "Classic Edition" range combines a stunning aesthetic with the very latest wine cooling technology. All our wine coolers from Swisscave are front venting so perfect to build in to kitchen cabinetry or use as a freestanding wine fridge.
Lockable, and able to accommodate 210 bottles if shelves are removed and an impressive 180 fully loaded. this single zone version of the WL455 range is a high quality product for the serious oenophile to reliably store their wines over the years to come.
Which is our top selling solid door wine cabinet?
Due to its ability to cellar around 300 bottles at a very keen price point plus the reliability of the Climadiff brand, the Climadiff Reserve 300XL has quickly become our most popular solid door wine cabinet, despite only launching onto the market in 2022.
The Reserve range from Climadiff offer the very latest advancements in wine maturation technology and the Reserve 300XL is their largest capacity model. Climadiff are the premier brand in the market for trusted wine cabinets and this range comes complete with winter system, allowing them to be kept in colder locations like garages & outbuildings. At just 38dB and 144kWh this is one of the quietest and most energy efficient wine cabinets on the market too.
With solid door and an exterior made from anthracite coal grey sheet metal your wine will remain undisturbed in total darkness and away from harmful UV light. The Reserve 300XL comes with 4 fixed and 1 wooden sliding shelf, a charcoal filter to prevent bad odours and automatic humidity regulation. The technology inside the cooler is designed to most closely replicate the conditions in a traditional Chateau cellar to allow your wines to develop to their optimum flavour profile over the decades.