Built-in wine cellar: how to choose it?

Built-in wine cellar

If you are a wine enthusiast or simply looking to keep your collection at its best, then you need a built-in wine cellar.

The wine needs adequate conditions to be able to rest for years and years, keeping the taste and organoleptic qualities unaltered. These devices are designed to maintain a constant temperature and control humidity, two fundamental factors for storing wine.

If you don’t have an environment or room to store bottles, buying a built-in wine cooler is certainly the best and also aesthetically pleasing solution to be included in a kitchen decor.

But with so many options on the market, how do you choose the right wine cooler? From the existing typologies to the elements that characterize them, in this article, we will explore the most important factors to consider when choosing a wine cellar.

Keep reading.

Types of wine cellars: how many there are

Knowing how many types of wine cellars there are on the market is undoubtedly the first step to take, to start your research and start filtering the models that are right for you. As regards the position, for example, the following stand out:

Free-standing cellars, usually on the floor or directly above a table;
Built-in wine cellar, which mount flush in niches or reserved spaces;
Semi-built-in wine cellar, this is the under-counter built-in wine cellar that is installed inside a kitchen module or under the worktop.

Instead, focusing on the functionality and characteristics of the wine cellars, we can divide the types into:

Single-zone cellars: keep the bottles at a single temperature, therefore it is ideal if your collection includes only one variety of wine;

Cellars with two cooling zones: this is the classic double temperature built-in wine cellar which allows you to conserve white and red wines in two different compartments by setting specific temperatures (14-16 °C for reds and 6-8 °C for white, rosé and bubbles).

Having said this, let’s take a closer look at all the other elements that will have to guide you in the conscious purchase of a built-in wine cellar.

Choosing the best wine cellars: what characteristics should they have?

There is nothing better than enjoying a glass of wine or a flute of sparkling wine at the perfect temperature. Having a wine cellar at home allows you to do this, provided, however, that you choose the right one.

Beyond which are the best wine cellars, it is necessary to evaluate that they have some characteristics, which are important for keeping your precious bottles in the best possible way:

Dual-zone/tri-zone temperature: i.e. the possibility of setting different temperatures to be able to place different types of wines, each of which requires a precise conservation temperature range;

Internal air circulation: which serves to maintain constant humidity between 50% and 80%, a perfect range to keep your bottles “healthy” for a long time and prevent the corks from drying out, the wine from evaporating , or condensation and alteration are created in the bottles;

Door with UV-shielded glass: to prevent the wine from being directly exposed to sunlight and being altered in any way. Even better if your cellar has double or triple tempered glass.

Then there are a whole series of elements, useful to consider but which vary substantially according to what your personal needs are, and they are:

Materials: if you want a small quality built-in wine cellar, forget the plastic models and opt for the more resistant and robust stainless steel or tempered aluminum ones. For the interior, on the other hand, the wooden shelves that cushion the vibrations of the compressor are perfect;
Dimensions: a built-in wine cellar can be 60x60cm as large as a common kitchen unit or even smaller. If you have little space in which to place it, it is inevitable that you have to choose a slim wine cellar that will contain a few bottles;
Capacity: if you have many bottles to store, you will need to evaluate the storage capacity of the cellar. There are models that can contain a dozen, up to larger models with a capacity of even around 100 bottles;
Innovative features: digital touch control display, Wi-FI connectivity, remote control, high tech lock, app for taking inventory or suggesting combinations are all pluses that allow you to manage the wine cellar more efficiently;
Internal lighting: some new generation cellars are equipped with LED lights which, in addition to ensuring good visibility of the interior, do not generate excessive heat for the bottles;

Now you know everything about wine coolers and how to choose the most suitable one. You just have to figure out where to place it at home and above all evaluate one last fundamental aspect: costs. Keep reading.

Where to place the wine cellar

Nowadays a built-in wine cellar is a very elegant design solution, capable of furnishing every corner of the house with style and originality. Therefore, their location is very important, both from a functional and aesthetic point of view.

Here are some useful tips and guidelines to follow to position your wine cooler correctly:

Cool and dry place: an environment not subject to sudden changes in heat, possibly with a constant temperature between 12-14°C, is ideal for positioning the cellar and ensuring that the bottles retain their taste and quality over time;

Away from direct sunlight and heat sources: direct sunlight and heat sources can alter the taste of the wine. Therefore the wine cellar must be positioned away from windows, stoves, intense artificial lights, radiators and motors of other household appliances;

Stable ground level: a flat and horizontal surface, such as a stable and level floor, is essential to support the built-in column wine cooler, so that the bottles do not tilt or roll;

Indoor spaces: do not install the wine cellar on an exposed veranda or in open environments. The ideal is to place it indoors, near a practical and accessible place to be able to pick up the bottles for special occasions.

At this point you just have to decide where to install your built-in wine cellar: in the kitchen or in the living room, as you can see, there is no shortage of solutions.

How much the wine cellars consume

When choosing a built-in wine cellar, it is also necessary to evaluate the consumption in kWh. There are many factors that can affect the energy consumption of this appliance, but let’s try to make a rough estimate anyway:

Between 110 and 250 kWh/year for a cellar with capacity for up to 12 bottles;
Between 140 and 300 kWh/year for a cellar that can hold up to 48 bottles;
Over 250 kWh/year for a cellar with a capacity of more than 100 bottles.

Obviously, the cost per kWh varies first of all according to the tariff plan of your energy retailer. Secondly, the capacity of the wine cellar, the energy class and the environmental class can also affect the average annual consumption.

These last two aspects must always be checked to ensure the best level of efficiency, especially during the summer season, where consumption inevitably rises to maintain an adequate internal temperature.

As far as the cost of a built-in cellar is concerned, however, this is a very variable aspect that depends on the characteristics of the model. As a guideline, prices start from 1800 euros up to 5000 euros, for appliances with more functions.

Owning a Diadema built-in wine cellar is ideal for displaying your fantastic collection of wines, keeping the bottles tidy and at the right temperature. And thanks to the elegant and refined design it can be integrated into any home environment.

Discover our range of refrigerated built-in wine coolers. All our products are entirely made in Italy, combining the maximum efficiency of the appliance with a unique and customizable aesthetic that satisfies the taste of each of our customers.