A wine refrigerator is a must for any wine enthusiast or wine collector that wants to keep their wine collection in tip-top condition.
Wine refrigerators come in all shapes and sizes, but the temperature range that they can maintain is the most important consideration.
A typical wine fridge can maintain a consistent temperature between 40 and 55 degrees Fahrenheit. It’s essential to have your wine fridge maintain a cool temperature so that your collection of red wine and white wine keeps its good flavor and doesn’t spoil.
What exactly is a thermoelectric wine cooler, though? Is it different from a traditional wine refrigerator?
What Is A Thermoelectric Wine Refrigerator?
A thermoelectric wine cooler has a solid-state heat pump that creates a ‘heat flux’ between two different types of materials using a principle known as the Peltier effect. You can read more about the Peltier effect from scientific journals like the one here.
A thermoelectric unit is more efficient and has a longer life than a traditional wine refrigerator because it doesn’t use traditional mechanical cooling methods (I.E. It doesn’t have a compressor).
The main difference between a thermoelectric wine cooler and a compressor wine cooler is that thermoelectric units have no moving parts and, as a result, are extremely quiet when in use. However, they are susceptible to temperature fluctuations if the surrounding temperature of the unit is high… Meaning that these units should only be placed in a very cool, environment I.E. a wine cellar or in a kitchen that doesn’t have much direct sunlight.
Additionally, due to the fact that thermoelectric cooling systems are less powerful than compressor cooling systems, they are only used in small wine fridges, and occasionally in some medium-sized units. So you will find thermoelectric powered units range from being able to hold and store 2-25 bottles.
How much does a thermoelectric wine cooler cost?
We’ve written an article all about how much a thermoelectric wine refrigerator costs, but to summarise, these are quite inexpensive due to them generally being small wine fridges.
Although it’s very difficult to put a single, specific dollar amount on the cost, due to there being different types of thermoelectric wine coolers, varying bottle capacities, and brands manufacturing them. They do range from approximately $114 to $336.
However, we’d recommend reading through our above costing guide for more information here.
