When one embarks on building their own collection of wine, storage is key. It's not simply a question of buying several cases of white wine and putting it in a fridge, and bottles of red wine and bunging it on shelves in the kitchen. Environment is a key factor in allowing wines to age and mature in the way that they are supposed to.If you are without a magnificent and spacious cellar, then there are wine storage alternatives. For red wine, choose a wine rack but for white, using a wine cooler is a perfectly viable alternative for keeping wine chilled. With so many models to choose from, how do you know which is best? Hopefully, this will be a helpful guide for you when making your selection.In terms of size, the best rule of thumb is to picture roughly how big you want your collection to ultimately be at any one time, and then choose a model to best accommodate it. If your intention is to keep around 80 to 100 bottles in your home at any one time, then obviously a larger model is ideal. But, if you are still unsure, a smaller 40-bottle model is usually more than enough to start with.With regards to quality and features, a novice collector can choose something simple that just provides basic control of temperature and humidity. But for more experienced collectors, models with more sophisticated features are a must. A larger collection means a cooler would be better off with separate cooling zones to suit different wines. And, you should choose one with round-the-clock monitoring of humidity, temperature and other important factors, with the function of alerting you when something is wrong. Another point is to check the load-bearing ability of the shelves within any fridge. If they don't look sturdy enough, then just say no to that one.So how much does it all cost? The price depends on a cooler’s capabilities. Be prepared to spend well into the thousands for a more advanced model but a simple wine fridge can be much cheaper. And don't forget to consider shipping costs, as well as the additional charges to your energy bills in the long term. Do all the maths before you finally choose one.The final factor is integration. The advantage of a smaller cooler is that you can slot it almost anywhere you want. These coolers are not furniture that requires hiring tradesmen to come and install things. But if you have the space, it's a lovely addition to a fitted kitchen.
