Built-In Wine Cooler Refrigerators

If you have a medium to large collection of wines then it's a good idea to find adequate storage place for it, preferably with ideal temperature and humidity conditions and proper racking.

Built-in wine coolers/wine refrigerators are manufactured exactly for this purposes. Built-in wine coolers are zero-clearance appliances that are designed to sit flush with and fit neatly in your existing cabinetry.

The ventilation (forcing the hot air out of the cabinet interior) is in the front so you can install the appliance flat against the wall.

Built-in wine coolers and wine refrigerators are availbale in various sizes from full-height, large capacity units to small undercounter wine fridges.

The smallest built-in wine coolers can hold around 18-28 bottles but there are large capacity units which can accommodate 100 or more bottles of wine.

To save space you can build in the wine cooler under the counter or any other suitable place in your kitchen (library, recreational room). The smaller built-in wine coolers occupy as much space as a kitchen trash bin or garbage compactor does.

They take up less room than freestanding wine coolers, however you can use most built-in wine cooler refrigerator models as standalone.

You can choose from different decors so that the wine cooler matches the overall design of your kitchen.

The larger, high-end built-in wine coolers with multiple temperature zones are rather expensive and some models require a professional to install them.

Slim Built-In Wine Coolers

If you have only a narrow space to build in the cooler look for a wine refrigerator with 15 inch or less width:

The Summit SWC 1530 wine cooler holds 28 bottles. This compact unit with 15" width can be conveniently fitted in your kitchen's cabinetry or you can place it freestanding. It costs cc. US$ 680-700 .

Vinotemp TC32-BL 32-bottle wine refrigerator for around US$ 440 (US$ 13.75 per bottle) is another good compact wine bottle cooler for built-in placement.

It's an attractive unit with black cabinet and double pane, reversible glass door. With the electronic temperature control you can adjust temperature in the 48ºF - 60ºF range. You can monitor the interior temperature on the digital display.

The wire shelves can be removed to fit in wider bottles, but the cooler can accommodate max. 32 standard-sized (750 ml) bottles.

The Vinotemp TC32-BL wine refrigerator carries 1 year warranty on the compressor, the balance of the cooling system and on the cabinetry.

15-Inch Built-In Wine Cooler Refrigerators

15" wide wine coolers are specifically designed to fit into existing kitchen cabinetry to prvide space-efficient wine storage solution in households. These compact wine refrigerators come in many various designs providing ample decor choices and in case of higher-end models several customization options (custom stain and finish of wood shelves, custom door frame etc.).

The 15-inch wide Viking Undercounter Wine Coolers are attractive slim wine storage units.

The Danby DWC1534BLS wine cooler has 1 temperature zone and 34 bottles storage capacity.

Take a look at other 15-Inch Wine Cooler Refrigerators.

See other slim wine cooler models.

Mid-Capacity Built-In Wine Cooler Refrigerators

Danby DWC512BLS 50-Bottle Built-In Wine Refrigerator - Single Zone

The Danby 51 Bottle Capacity Wine Coolerr-(DWC512BLS) is a great mid-sized home wine refrigerator with 1 temperature zone. It's simple yet elegant that is so characteristic of the Danby Silhouette line wine cellars.

Although it's a single zone unit it has a fairly wide temperature range (44.6 - 64.4ºF / 7 - 18ºC).

Store reds on the top shelves where the temperature is a bit higher than at the bottom part of the cabinet which is best for storing whites. You can easily set the cooler to any temperature within that range with the digital thermostat. An elegant blue screen displays the set temperature.

The tinted, tempered door glass with the stainless steel trim lends elegance to the unit which is further enhanced by the 7 natural beechwood shelves.

Danby Silhouette 50-bottle wine cooler, Model DWC512BLS

The door hinge is reversible allowing you to choose the most favorable placement in your home. The door comes with lock & key set to keep your wine collection safely closed.

Besides the attractiveness of the wood shelves they have the advanatage of not scraping the labels on the bottles unlike wire racks.

The wine cooler comes with a plastic reservoir that you fill 3/4 full with water and place it in the middle of the top shelf as an attempt to maintain some kind of humidity level within the cabinet.

By the way as a zero clearance appliance the Danby Silhouette DWC512BLS wine cellar can be used both as a freestanding unit and as built-in under the counter.

Dimensions:

Height: 34 3/8"
Width: 23 7/8"
Depth: 23 3/4"

This wine cooler has a very nice per-bottle price making this unit one of the most cost effective mid-capacity wine refrigerators.

Price of the Danby DWC512BLS 50-bottle wine cooler: cc. US$ 699 (US$ 13.98 per bottle).

Consumer opinions: the Danby DWC512BLS wine cooler has received fairly good reviews (average ratings: 4 out of 5 points).

A few users of this model have complained that wider bottles won't fit in due to the non-adjustable shelving. Another problem is that the door must be fully open to be able to pull out the shelves which extend to only 3 inches.

Despite that it's a compressor-run wine fridge it's very silent. Other positive coments from users of this apliance include that it keeps the set temperature accurately.

TIPS for more Mid-Size Wine Coolers

Find other good-value wine coolers with 40-50 bottles storage capacity.

The Summit SWC530LBI 46-bottle wine cellar is an affordable dual-zone unit.

Magic Chef offers some low-priced medium size home wine coolers, like the Magic Chef MCWC44DZ a two-zone 44-bottle unit that costs less than US$ 500.

EdgeStar 46-Bottle Wine Cooler, Model CWR460DZ - an affordable dual-zone, built-in unit with stainless steel trimmed wood shelves.

N'FINITY 50-bottle Wine Cooler - a good-value, affordable 2-zone home cellar by Wine Enthusiast.

Avanti WCR5104DZD 46-bottle Wine Refrigerator - an attractive dual temperature zone unit with 5 wood shelves.

Cavavin Urbania 46-bottle Dual-Zone Wine Cooler - avalaibale in 3 cabinet finishes.

Summit SWC530LBI Wine Cooler - dual zone, stores 46 bottles on 6 slide-out wood shelves.

Jenn-Air Wine Refrigerators and Kitchenaid Architect Series Wine Cellars offer the same features and have the same design and decor: 46 bottles capacity, mechanical thermostat, shelves with natural maple front, 24" width and front venting for built-in use.

More Built-in Wine Coolers

The Avanti WC1500DSS 30-bottle built-in wine cooler is a very nice looking and affordable unit for beginner wine collectors. It costs around US$ 480 - 550.

For a 2-zone built-in unit check out the Avanti WC331DZD 28-bottle Dual Zone wine cellar.

Summit also offers a range of quality undercounter, zero-clearance wine coolers most of which are certified commercial wine refrigerators.

Take a look at Summit Built-In Wine Cooler series.

Vinotemp also has a range of built-in wine coolers that you can easily install. The Vinotemp VT-52 or the Vinotemp VT-45 Wine Refrigerator series are both affordable, quality home wine cellars in the US$ 1000-1100 price range.

Haier offers a wide choice in built-in wine coolers including the 31-bottle Haier wine refrigerator in the medium capacity range.

Marvel 30 WC wine refrigerator is for those who look for a high-end wine cooler with customization options.

The Electrolux ICON™ 48-Bottle Wine Refrigerator has 3 temperature zones.

The Danby 54-Bottle Dual Zone wine cellar is very elegant too.

Read review of the Franklin Chef FWC36 Dual Zone wine cooler which is a nice built-in unit.

Amcor wine refrigerators are affordable dual temperature zone wine storage units with storage capacity between 35-100 bottles.

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Large and Luxury Built-In Wine Coolers

The Franklin Chef FWC 100 model is a well-priced large capacity wine refrigerator with two temperature zones.

There are many other 100+ bottles capacity wine cooler refrigerators for built-in placement.

The 166-bottle Avanti wine refrigerator model can be placed either as freestanding or used as built-in.

The Sub-Zero WS-30 is a 147-bottle wine cooler with two zones, alarm feature, Sabbath mode, and a range of design options.

Vinotemp VT182 wine cellar

Vinotemp VT 182 dual zone wine cabinet can hold maximum 182 Bordeaux-style bottles (with diameters less than 2.75") on its 12 slide-out wooden shelves and 2 stationary shelves. Each shelf can accommodate 13 standard-sized bottles. Placing large, wider bottles will decrease the total capacity of the cooler.

The temperature varies inside the cabinet a few degrees with lower temperatures in the bottom (best to chill whites there) and higher temperatures at the top. According to some users temperature fluctuation can be as high as 4-5 degrees despite the fairly constant ambient temperature.

It's available in black cabinet with vacuum-sealed, double pane, tempered glass door that has a lock on the bottom. Two independently controlled temperature zones for storing red wines and chilling whites. The unit operates quietly.

With its compact dimensions it fits nicely in existing furnishing:

W: 25.5"
H: 74.75"
D: 29.5" (including handle, 27 3/8" without the handle)

The unit weighs 300 pounds.

Price: US$ 1600-2000 (US$ 8.80 - 10.98 per bottle) which is very attractive considering the low per bottle cost.

NOTE: Vinotemp doesn't make the VT-182 model anymore and it is usually out of stock at online retailers. The Vinotemp VT-188 with 160 Bottles capacity is a similar unit. See how the Vinotemp VT-188 compares to other budget 150-160-bottle wine refrigerators.

The Sub-zero 427 dual zone wine refrigerator is a high-end unit with around 132 bottles capacity. Read review of Sub-zero 427 Wine Refrigerator models.

The N'FINITY line of wine cabinets (by Wine Enthusiast) offer less pricey alternatives: there are 4 models in the 100+ bottles capacity:

the N'FINITY 100-bottle model

the N'FINITY 121-Bottle wine Cellar
the N'FINITY 170-Bottle Wine Cabinet and
the N'FINITY 340-bottle Wine Cabinet