When buying a wine cooler there are many factors to consider but perhaps the most important is the width, height and depth dimensions of not only the wine cooler, but the space you have allocated to the wine cooler.
Freestanding wine coolers
If your wine cooler is going to be placed outside of the kitchen, then a freestanding wine cooler will be your best choice. These wine coolers typically vent the hot air created from the process of keeping your wine cool from the sides and top of the appliance. This means whatever the size of the wine cooler you've chosen you should leave enough space for 10cm all around the wine fridge and an additional 30cm of space above it. It's advisable not to place items like boxes (or wine!) on top of a freestanding wine cooler.
So, in the instance that you're placing your wine fridge in your living room and your chosen wine fridge is 40cm wide by 90cm high, ideally you'd need a gap of 60cm width and 120cm height (or more) in which to place it.
Some freestanding wine coolers are front venting from a small panel at the bottom of the cooler, brands like Swisscave for example have this feature, allowing you to forego the additional space around the cooler for ventilation.
Undercounter Kitchen Wine Coolers
For undercounter kitchen wine coolers the space dimensions are crucial to know to ensure your wine cooler will fit into the allocated space and have the ability to vent the hot air produced in the process of cooling your wines.
Typically built-in wine coolers are for undercounter use and fit in standardised gaps of 150mm, 300mm, 400mm, 500mm and 600mm. Full height, built-in wine coolers typically require a width gap of 600mm.
Whilst many wine cooler brands produce integrated and built in wine coolers we recommend Dunavox, Swisscave and Avintage as the best premium kitchen wine cooler producers. Whilst there are cheaper brands on the market one look at their Trustpilot scores will indicate the longevity of these brands!
150mm wide wine coolers - These slimline wine coolers are ideal for those looking to keep a small selection of wine for service at one single temperature. 150mm wine coolers do not come in dual zone options and typically store between 7-9 bottles of wine.
300mm wide wine coolers - With the ability to hold 17-24 bottles in a one or two temperature zone capacity, 30cm width wine coolers are popular due to their commonly found sizing gaps.
400mm wide wine coolers - A rare spacing gap means there are a shortage of 400mm wide wine coolers on the market. Only Dunavox offer wine coolers of this width from our collection offering single or dual zones in silver or black.
500mm wide wine coolers - Another uncommon size gap means there are relatively few options on the market although there are some cheaper alternatives here from Vestfrost. Available in both single and dual zones, 500mm wide wine coolers store around 32-38 bottles.
600mm wide wine coolers - There are many choices in the undercounter 600mm wide range due to this being the regular size of undercounter appliances from ovens to washing machines. Wine coolers of this size typically hold between 38-50 bottles and come in single and dual zone.
Full Height, Built in Wine Coolers - For those looking for full height, built in options there are a great range of options ranging from £1000 all the way to £3500. Most wine cooler producers have an option in this range. Montpellier offer two options, the WC181X and the WC166X that are our most popular full height, built in options.
Integrated Wine Coolers
If you're looking to integrate your wine cooler into your kitchen design, raise it off the floor like an integrated oven or even place a door in-front of it to obscure the glass door and keep your kitchen's clean lines then an integrated wine fridge is the right option for you. Some of our integrated wine coolers are self-ventilating which means you do not have to build in ventilation at the back of the integrated wine fridge.
Bottle Sizes
Perhaps space is no problem in your home or you'll be keeping the wine fridge in your garage, conservatory or outbuilding, in this case it's probably the bottle capacity that matters most to you.
Wine coolers come in a range of sizes from just 7 bottles all the way up to 300+ bottles and the size and functions of your choice of wine fridge will come down to your own independent needs.
Most dual zone wine coolers start at around the 40 bottle mark and if you're looking to cellar wine over the longer term needing additional features like carbon filters, these typically start around the 100 bottle mark.
For any questions regarding size, or helping you to choose the right wine fridge for you please use our live chat where a member of our team can help make recommendations to suit your specific needs.