Lockable Wine Fridges and Wine Cabinets

Expert Advice on Lockable Wine Fridges

Around half of all premium wine fridges come with an integrated lock and key. Generally the larger the storage capacity the more likely a wine fridge is to have a lock, however, it is far more rare for built-in or integrated units to have locks (although some do), as the main purpose of a lockable wine fridge is to discourage theft (and teenagers).

Restaurants, bars and hotels, and locations with public access often choose wine fridges with locks for security purposes although it is true that any wine fridge can be made secure fairly cheaply as external wine fridge locks are available for around £30 and sold widely across the internet.

Are wine fridge locks really secure?

Lockable wine fridges are more secure than wine fridges without a lock, although it is true that the locks are not safe-grade they will generally stop anyone who may casually want to take a bottle in a shop, bar or restaurant or discourage children from opening the wine fridge. However, with enough brute force and determination and time, it could be possible, especially for the cheaper brands to force the lock, as it would be for a house door.

If your wine collection is priceless then we would suggest a lockable door but also other security measures for the home or location in which the wine fridge is kept.

The locks are also not 100% individual and there are likely several hundred keys that could fit the lock but the intruder would have to have the same wine fridge, from the same brand and the same production run at home to enter your wine fridge with the identical key and the chances of that are slim to none.

Lockable Wine Fridges – Buying Guide

Who needs a lockable wine fridge?

The most frequent requests for lockable wine cabinets come from high end restaurants, bars and wine shops who have hundreds of members of the public milling around the premises daily. Customers who serve and sell wine will often keep their best bottles of Champagne, Bordeaux, Burgundy and fine wines from around the world in their lockable wine fridge.

Serious wine collectors often opt for lockable doors but in our experience this is to discourage the children in the home more than intruders.

If a wine collection is kept in a garage, often the least secure part of a home, then a lockable wine fridge makes sense in this location too.

How many keys come with a lockable wine fridge?

At least two, and more generally three keys are provided with a lockable wine fridge and are usually found in a small plastic bag inside the wine fridge together with the user manual and other accessories.

Replacement keys can be ordered from the manufacturer at a nominal cost.

Do lockable wine fridges also have child proof locks?

The locks on a wine fridge tend to also be child proof but many also have child proofing features on the temperature settings too meaning that buttons need to pressed in a certain order to change the temperature. This can help not only with bottles staying the cabinet but also stop any accidental temperature changes.

Do lockable wine fridges come in dual temperature zones?

Most lockable wine fridges are for wine cabinets rather than smaller units but as service wine fridges (which are often dual zones) are found in bars and restaurants then yes, very often lockable wine fridges are dual zone models, but single zone versions and multi zone lockable wine fridges are also to be found on the market.

Can I transform any fridges into a lockable wine fridge?

All wine fridges can be made secure with locks that can be bought on the internet. These external locks are secure but tend not to be as attractive, and look bulky and out of place and are not not colour matched to your wine fridge. This can be less important if your wine fridge is in the garage, but less attractive if in the home.

Locks for wine fridges come in a range of prices from £5 to £50 and beyond but the average for a good external lock would be around £30. You could also add this external lock to a lockable wine fridge that already had an internal locking mechanism in the door to add another level of security.

Are combination code locks available for wine fridges?

External combination code locks are available however, very few wine fridges come with built-in combination code locks.

Need Expert help Choosing a Lockable Wine Fridge?

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.