Best wine cooler fridge 2024, for all budgets

Welcome to our guide to the best wine coolers you can buy. If you’re a wine lover a dedicated wine fridge is a very worthwhile investment because not only will it free up a load of space in your main fridge for extra food, the temperature a dedicated wine cooler fridge provides will be far better suited to keeping wine at optimum drinking temperature.

There are numerous types of wine coolers on the market of various sizes, prices, and with smart features, including multiple zones for keeping different drinks and different temperatures – all of which make them much better suited to housing drinks than the best fridges or best fridge freezers. Hey, why not also read the self-explanatory Mistakes everyone makes with fridge freezers (and fridges and freezers)? They apply to wine fridges too, to an extent.

So which style and model is the best for you? We’ve scoured the market for some of the best wine cooler fridges you can buy today, and alighted this merry selection of fine contenders are the ones to check out.

How to choose the best wine cooler fridge

The first thing you need to know about wine cooler fridges is that they’re not really designed for long-term storage, so if you’re a connoisseur of fine vintage wines, your best bet is a bona fide wine cellar or specialist wine cabinet.

Wine coolers come in a variety of styles and sizes and at different price points, so perhaps first consider the subject of cost and whether or not an expensive model may be overkill for your needs. You then need to think about size of unit which usually relates to the amount of wine or other beverages you drink and how often you entertain.

Another major consideration is whether you prefer red, white, rosé, Prosecco or Champagne. Red wine is usually best served at just below room temperature, so you won't want to store it in a cooler that's set for colder temperatures. Any wine cooler is ideal for white wines, champers and Prosecco, though, which want to be significantly colder. As mentioned above, some wine coolers have multiple temperature zones, so you can can keep a portion at the right temperature for red, and the rest cooler for white or bubbly.

Just be aware that some smaller wine coolers on the market may not have enough space on the racks to accommodate larger bottles of Champagne or Prosecco.

If you’re a small family of two wine-loving adults who entertain occasionally, consider a small worktop model which will hold up to 14 bottles at a time. Or, if you have the funds, a sleek under-counter model.

However, if you’re a budding sommelier with a keen nose for a fine vintage then maybe opt for a larger model and one with dual temperature controls that will allow you to temporarily store your prized collection at different temperatures. 

In general, red wine is best served between 15˚ and 20˚C, white between 7˚ and 15˚C, rosé from 10˚ to 15˚C and sparkling wine and Champagne between 7° and 10°C.

The best wine coolers to buy today

This simply-styled 93-litre model measures 84.2cm in height, 49cm in width and 44cm in depth so it’s not too ungainly a product to site in the kitchen or even in full view of the dining table. 

Crucially, it holds up to 34 average sized 750ml bottle of plonk in six main top rows with a flexible sideways-mounted shelf on the bottom for larger bottles of Champagne or Prosecco. An interior light adds ambience rather than practicality, since the bottles are stored neck out which means zero visibility of the labels when the unit is full.

The Russell Hobbs RH34WC1 has a temperature range if 5˚C to 18˚C, so it’s perfect for all wines and champers, too. Some users have noticed a fluctuation of a degree or two when checked with a thermometer, but that's not such a big problem when it's not intended for long-term storage, and in the main it’s an excellent performer and suitable for most wines bar, say, an expensive Châteaux La Fleur-Pétrus.

If you only require an mild amount of cool storage space and would rather not choke the fridge with extra bottle wines for your next dinner party, this work-top model will happily swallow 14 average-sized bottles and keep them at a steady temperature of 5˚C to 18˚C.

Like the Russell Hobbs above, this smaller and much cheaper option also has a separate section below for strays and larger bottle of Champagne. The top two removable racks hold 11 bottles of red, white and rosé in an attractive bowed pattern that makes it a bit easier to read labels without having to remove each bottle in turn. A beer version is also available for those who prefer the taste of hops to grapes.

At just 42cm in height and 48cm in width, the Comfee’ is a great size for most wine drinkers. It’s also surprisingly versatile – the racks can be removed to accommodate other beverages – and it comes with a reversible door for added convenience.

If you’re prepared to spend a little more for your collection, how about this 119-litre, dual-temperature model from the house of Hoover? You get two temperature zones with this handsome model so it’s an ideal choice for storing different types of wines that require their own independent temperatures for optimum swirl, sniff, sip and savour.

The great thing about this model is that it’s about the same dimensions as most kitchen appliances, so it will simply slot in between the kitchen cabinets (though is too tall to go under-counter). It’s beautifully designed, too, with lovely brushed stainless steel door handles and elegant light wooden racks that give it a premium look.

The Hoover H-Wine 5700 accommodates up to 38 standard wine bottles and each zone (left and right) can be adjusted to your liking, from 5˚ to 18˚C. The interior LED light, meanwhile, adds an extra touch of class. And if you like a bit of extra tech with your gear, this model also works in tandem with the hOn app (iOS and Android) so you can take an image of the wine label and find out where and when it was produced. A top wine cooler for all oenophiles.

Assuming you have a space of around 14.5cm in width between (or at the end of) the kitchen cabinets, the Avintage is one of the most inconspicuous wine coolers you can buy. Simply slot it in between a couple of cabinets and it will disappear from view yet provide up to eight 750ml bottles of chilled plonk – seven stored vertically and one stored upright – whenever the need arises.

The Avintage operates at a wider temperature range than other models (5˚C to 20˚C) and will fit all standard bottles of wine. However, it may not accommodate some Champagne bottles though there is space for one large bottle on the bottom shelf .

The Avintage is an expensive option for a wine cooler that can only accommodate eight bottles, but then again it is one of the most attractive and unobtrusive models on the market, and may be the best option for smaller kitchens by a long way.

Here’s one for the household that serves wine, Champagne, Prosecco and other bottled beverages on an industrial scale. The Haier HWS84GNF has just one temperature zone and it ranges from 5˚C to 20˚C. This makes it feasible for red wine storage at near room temperature and perfect for properly chilled whites and bubbly stuff.

At 1.27 metres in height and 49.7cm in width, the Haier has space for up to a whopping 84 bottles so this is the model to opt for if you really, really like wine or you entertain guests on a regular basis. The six wooden shelves are easily adjustable for different sized bottles – including larger magnums – and there’s a 3D lighting system inside that illuminates your collection for added have-you-noticed-my-wine-collection ambience.

This model has a bit of extra added tech, too, like natural air flow that controls temperature and humidity, an active carbon filter that purifies the air and a locking system to stop kids – or thieves – from tampering. It also works in tandem with the popular hOn app that lets you scan a bottle to read up on its origins and date of production. An impressive cooler with great stats and cavernous storage possibilities.

If all you want is table-top cooler for a single bottle of white, rose or Champagne, consider the Huski which will accommodate most standard-sized 750ml bottles by dint of its flexi-fit gasket-style screw-down lid. The Huski doesn’t feature any cooling properties like freezer packs or ice. Instead it uses a simple double walled, vacuum insulated stainless steel casing with internal copper plating to maintain the temperature of a pre-chilled bottle for up to six hours. 

To use, take a cold bottle from the fridge, pop it into the Huski and screw down the lid and take it to the table. The centre section is rubberised for extra grip when pouring. Invented in Australia where things get really hot, the Huski is attractive enough for a dinner table and is exceedingly practical for taking on picnics and barbecues.