It’s no secret that millions of people around the world love wine, both red and white. We are some of those people, no doubt. It’s one of those beverages that works for pretty much any occasion.
Just like beer and other liquors, wine needs to be at the proper temperature both for storage and consumption, or at least it should be.
Drinking wine that hasn’t been stored or chilled right can ruin the taste of the wine and the ambience of the occasion.
That being said, red and white wines need to be stored at different temperatures, which is true for their integrity and for their taste. You can’t store reds and whites at the same temperature because their properties are different. We are here today to talk about which temperatures should be set for a dual zone wine fridge.
It’s not really difficult to understand, but it’s something that you do need to know if you want your wines to be at their best when you are ready to drink them. We will also be taking a look at some of the best dual zone wine coolers on the market today.
What Temperature Should Be Set for Dual Zone Wine Cooler?
The whole point of a dual zone fridge is to allow you to keep both your reds and whites in the same fridge, with each being stored in their ideal temperature range.
Generally speaking, you want the temperature to be between 50° and 65° Fahrenheit for the section of the fridge that will hold the red wine. The section for white wine should be kept between 45° and 50° Fahrenheit, as white wine needs to be stored and consumed at a lower temperature than red.
On a side note, heat tends to rise, which means that it is good to set the lower section of the cooler to the lower temperature, and store your whites beneath the reds; the higher section at the higher temperature will be for your reds. Heat is going to rise either way, so setting the top to be warmer than the bottom makes sense, both from a physics and an economic point of view.
Reviews of Dual Zone Wine Coolers
Yes, there are lots of different wine fridges out there and of course they are not all of the same quality. Here we have a selection of what we think are the 3 top dual zone wine coolers out there right now. Each comes with its own features and benefits that you might really appreciate, so let’s take a closer look at them.
Koolatron WC12DZ 12 Bottle Wine Cooler
The Koolatron WC12DZ 12 Bottle Dual Zone Cooler is built for freestanding use and has an ideal size to be placed virtually anywhere. It can fit under the counter. But you need to have clearance around the sides and back of the fridge to maximize airflow.
This is a pretty unique little wine refrigerator. It has two temperature zones, which are separately controlled. The top zone can hold six wine bottles, with a temperature range between 54° and 66°F. The bottom section of this cooler is for white wine, can hold six bottles with a temperature range from 42° to 66°F (6-18°C).
The digital temperature display and controls let you set the temperature just how you like it. Moreover, the soft LED lighting on the interior helps you see what is going on inside the cooler.
The wine fridge uses thermoelectric cooling technology for less noise and vibrations.
The attractive Koolatron wine cooler has a UV protective door, four removable shelves that will help you showcase your collection, and is built from stainless steel. And with a decent bottle capacity.
Wine Enthusiast 18 Bottle Dual Zone MAX Wine Cellar
This particular cooler is slightly larger than the first one we looked at; it can hold 18 bottles as opposed to 12. The Wine Enthusiast Silent 18 Bottle Dual Zone MAX is an ideal shape to keep in a cabinet, under a table, or in any other small space. It’s relatively small and compact with flexible storage space.
This wine fridge does not run very quietly since it uses compressor cooling technology and making it cool more efficiently.
The door on the Wine Enthusiast Silent 18 Bottle Wine Refrigerator is designed to provide a perfect seal, keeping cool and keeping humidity in and UV rays out.
This wine fridge has two cooling zones, with the bottom being ideal for a white wine with a temperature range of 46° to 66° F, and the top having a range from 54° to 66°. If you set both zones to the same temperature, you can use it as a single zone wine cooler.
The digital touchscreen is easy to use and provides easy access to temperature control for each zone.
It’s a nice little wine cooler to have for at-home use and is ideal for small collection. For showing off of your wine collection, you have the bottom rack.
Whynter BWR-171DS 17 Bottle Dual Zone Wine Refrigerators
This little Whynter wine fridge is visually very appealing which can store 17 bottles. You can store six bottles in the upper zone, while the lower zone has a bottle capacity of eleven bottles.
Another positive side is that this unit is built very well and is very quiet for a compressor cooler. Your wine can be chilled in the upper zone between 41° – 50°F; the lower zone can reach 50° – 72° F. Each zone has an adjustable thermostat with accurate control.
This Whynter can be a freestanding unit, or you can install it under your cabinet.
This stylish wine refrigeator comes with five (5) pull-out sliding stainless racks. With a front stainless steel door and modern digital control panel, this unit will make one of your kitchen’s nicest appliances.
When considering the price for Whynter BWR-171DS you should take into consideration these features which separate it from other wine fridges:
- A soft white LED interior light
- Open-door warning system
- Temperature memory function
- Tempered gray-smoked to protect bottles from UV light
- Effective fan-circulated compressor cooling for precise temperature distribution
- Setting the temperature zones in Fahrenheit or Celsius
So if you renovate the kitchen, then the Whynter BWR-171DS wine cooler will become your favorite part of your kitchen and definitely worth the money.
Conclusion
Remember to store your white wines in the bottom of the dual zone cooler, which should be colder than the top; the top where the red wine goes. We would definitely recommend taking a closer look at the various dual temperature wine fridges that we have reviewed above. As far as we can tell, they are some of the best options on the market today.