Dual zone wine coolers have been around for quite some time now, and they have proven their worth to connoisseurs of all levels. They are convenient if you have more than one type of wine to store.
That being said, there are some things that you need to know about these dual zone wine refrigerators. Dual zone wine cooler temperatures for different types of wine is one of the things that you should know. Let’s talk about dual zone wine refrigerators and what you need to know.
What is a Dual Zone Wine Cooler?
Simply put, a dual zone wine cooler is a wine refrigerator with two different compartments that can be set at individual temperatures. Instead of a single compartment with just one possible temperature to set, they have two zones that can be individually controlled.
These are pretty convenient because you can store multiple kinds of wine at their ideal temperatures without needing a separate cooler for different wines.
Dual zone wine coolers are often of the thermoelectric variety, but they can also use compression as the cooling method of choice. Generally speaking, one zone will be set a little warmer, which is ideal for red wines, and the other section will be set cooler for white wines.
How Cold Does a Dual Zone Wine Cooler Get?
Since wine needs to be kept fairly cool, at least most wines, it is probably necessary to know exactly how cold a wine fridge can get, especially a dual zone model as we are talking about here today.
Generally speaking, dual zone wine refrigerators can go as low as about 35°F, which is just above freezing. On the other end of the spectrum, these coolers can maintain temperatures of up to 70°, if you get a good quality model
The less-expensive models usually won’t go quite as cold, especially not in terms of speed, accuracy, and efficiency. A basic dual zone wine fridge will usually bottom out at around 40°. That should not be a problem, because in most cases you will not buy a wine that would require a lower temperature
Dual vs. Single Zone Wine Coolers
Before you get a dual zone wine refrigerator, you should determine whether you need one.
If you are a beginner with only a few bottles of wine, especially if they are all of the same kind, you are probably better off getting a single zone cooler; there is no point in spending extra money on a dual zone cooler when you don’t need it. There is also the fact that single zone coolers tend to be more efficient, both in terms of cooling and cost.
Dual Zone Wine Cooler Temperature
When it comes to dual zone wine refrigerators and the various types of wine you can store in them, you need to be careful. To keep the wine good for as long as possible, and to make sure that it properly ages, it needs to be kept at the proper temperature.
Let’s quickly go over the most common and main types of wine that you might buy, and at what temperatures a particular type of wine should you store.
Keep in mind that we measure everything in Fahrenheit here. Don’t make the mistake of thinking that red wine needs to be stored at 65° Celsius because that will destroy your wine.
- Sparkling and dessert wines – 40° to 45°
- Light bodied white wines – 46° to 48°
- Medium bodied white wines – 50°
- Full bodied white wines – 52° to 55°
- Light bodied red wines and rose – 55° to 60°
- Medium bodied red wines – 60° to 62°
- Full bodied red wines – 64° to 65°
- Antique red wines and fortified red wines – 57° to 67°
Dual Zone Will Cooler Tips
There are several essential tips that you should follow when it comes to using a dual zone wine refrigerator. If you follow these tips, it will help to ensure that all of your wines stay in prime condition for many years to come.
First and foremost, you should always aim to set the upper compartment’s temperature higher than the lower compartment. This does not apply to dual zone wine refrigerators with the zones side by side, but this is very important for the ones with the zones above each other.
Heat rises, so the top will automatically be a little warmer than the bottom. Setting the top to be warmer will make things more cost and time-efficient. Store your reds on top and the whites in the wine cooler bottom zone.
If you want to use a dual zone wine fridge for more than two types of wine, you will have to work something out.
Something that many people do is to set the cooler to a solid 55 degrees because that is ideal for most kinds of wine. You can then select the second zone to the ideal temperature for serving to get it ready for drinking.
Dual zone wine refrigerators usually use quite a bit of energy to cool wine, especially when two separate cooling mechanisms are involved. It would help if you made sure to leave enough space in the rear of the cooler for ventilation so that it does not overheat and compromise your wine collection.
Since these coolers already use quite a bit of energy and tend to produce a fair amount of heat, you should make sure to place it somewhere cool; place it in a cool room where there is not a lot of ambient light, sunlight, or other sources of heat.
Conclusion
Remember the tips we have provided, the uses of a dual zone wine cooler, and the proper temperature for each type of wine. If you keep these things in mind, you should have no problem finding the right wine cooler for you.