Garage wine fridges and garage wine cabinets are wine storage units that are ideal for protecting your wine collection in a garage environment either insulated or otherwise. Our expert, hand selected recommendations for garage wine fridges include those that have a winter system (a system that can both heat and cool the space inside the wine fridge to offset the fluctuating ambient temperatures a garage experiences), a carbon filter (for long term ageing), humidity levels of 55-80%, and a high degree of UV protection thanks to UV protected doors or solid doors.

Garage wine fridges are ideal for those who do not have the space in their regular home for a garage wine cabinet but do have electric to their garage, allowing them to include a wine fridge in the garage.

There are several brands that area ideal for this purpose but those especially from Swisscave, La Sommeliere, Climadiff, Dunavox, Artevino and Vin Garde will work best. 

Garage Wine Fridges, Coolers & Cabinets

Expert Advice on Garage Wine Cabinets

Garage wine coolers tend to have larger capacities (over 100 bottles) and are often offered with solid doors as well as UV protected glass doors. All our recommendations have the winter systems and area ideally suited to the long term maturation of fine wine.

Garage wine cabinets contain all the technology that their indoor use wine cabinets do but also tend to contain other features due to their garage settings including audible alarms and lockable doors. This is not only because the wine lover may not be in the garage to see the issue and thus the alarm, but also because wine storage in the garage is often for long term storage of expensive bottles and so the security is needed.

Are Garage Wine Fridges Ideal For Use in Hot and Cold Temperatures?

This is the main question. Temperatures in a garage tend to fluctuate far more than in the home. The setting is more extreme in terms of heat, vibration and odours, so it’s important that the garage wine fridge contains all the features needed to combat these plus all the regular wine fridge features.

Garage wine fridges will need a winter system to combat the fluctuations in temperature, a carbon filter to offset any garage/car aromas and anti-vibration shelving and compressor to offset the vibrations from the home/road. All of the products in our garage wine cabinet range offer these key features.

Garage wine coolers are most often freestanding wine fridges, this means they can not be built in to carpentry. Whilst most garages should have the 3-5cm of ventilation space required all around the wine fridge, this makes a freestanding wine fridge the best option for a garage. 

Garage Wine Cabinets – Buying Guide

Do Fridges for Garages Need a Carbon Filter?

Over time wines can absorb odours from outside sources which can ultimately disrupt the sealed wine through the cork. A charcoal filter fitted into the wine cooler guards against this undesirable outcome.

This is especially important if the garage fridge is situated next to DIY products such as cans of paint as odours from these products can escape and seep into the air. A charcoal filter protects your wines against this environmental threat.

Charcoal filters are to combat the odours coming from the room that the wine fridge is held that could enter into the wine fridge and potentially penetrate through to the wine. Garages, probably more than any other space, do tend to collate odours, either from exhausts, potentially damp or DIY product odours. For this reason we recommend purchasing a garage wine fridge with a carbon (charcoal) filter.

Do Fridges for Garages Need a Winter System?

The UK summers and winters are becoming more extreme, and whilst it may be tempting to think your garage wont get that hot, or that cold, it may be safer to invest that little bit more and ensure the wine fridge for the garage has a winter system.

A winter system is basically a gentle heating element that means should the temperatures outside dip below the temperature you have your wine fridge set too, it will activate and gently warm the internal capacity. As with any wine fridge, it is also a fridge, and so will cool the wines should the ambient temperature be above that which your wine fridge is set.

If you believe that your garage wine cabinet will never be in a situation where the garage is colder than the internal temperature (perhaps you have a heated garage?) then a winter system is not necessary.

Do Fridges for Garages Need a Solid Door?

Wine Fridges for garages don’t need a solid door, probably even less so than a wine fridge in the home as garages tend to have less natural light. The reason most garage wine fridges do have a solid door option is because most wine collections kept in a garage are expensive and as such a solid door is the best way to absolutely ensure 100% no trace of UV light can enter the space where your wines are maturing.

Do Garage Wine Fridges have two temperature zones?

Most dual zone wine coolers do need to have a couple of degrees of separation between the two compartments, meaning both zones can't maintain 12°C. If the purpose of your garage wine fridge is long term maturation then you should buy a single zone wine fridge. 

If however you want to use the whole wine fridge for storage, or want to use the wine fridge for partial service and partial storage, then a dual zone would be ideal for the garage. 

Are Wine Fridges Suitable For Garages Noisy?

Not particularly and often not more so than a home unit. The reason they are not noisy is often because they are single zones, solid doors and very energy efficient, they are doing less than a household wine fridge in that case so are not noisy. Most garage wine fridges range from 37-43dB. As you’re not spending much time in your garage (as compared to your kitchen), generally speaking, noise is less of an issue than energy efficiency.

What security features are there for Garage Wine Fridges?

Wine cabinets for the garage are most frequently filled with wine destined for maturation, this wine tends to be expensive, so feeling secure that the wine fridge is protected is important.

Most garage wine fridges will have an external lock, a child lock, security alarms and alarms for malfunctions.

Need Expert help Choosing a Wine Fridge for the Garage?

At Coolersomm we have 15 years of wine industry experience in fine wine and wine maturation so for any questions please email info@coolersomm.com, call 020 3627 2644, speak to us via Live Chat or visit us in our London store in Wandsworth. For more on garage wine coolers read our expert blog on the subject.