We earn a commission for products purchased through some links in this article.
The best wine coolers to keep your bottles at the perfect temperature, tested
Enjoy a cold glass at the end of the day with these expert-tested wine fridges

If you're renovating or upgrading your kitchen, you may be toying with the idea of adding a wine cooler to your set-up, for storing all your favourite white wines, best rosé wine and best champagne. In fact, the best wine coolers are only one step down from having your own wine cellar.
Built-in wine fridges will fit neatly among your cupboards and kitchen appliances, keeping all your favourite drinks at a controlled temperature to preserve their quality and ensure they're ready to serve — so you can enjoy a chilled glass at the end of a long day, whatever the occasion.
However, you don't need to completely rejig your space to enjoy the benefits of a wine fridge: freestanding models can be placed wherever you have the space.
Whichever type you're after, the Good Housekeeping Institute has put a range of leading models to the test to find the most reliable for your collection. The scores are in and these are our best wine coolers to shop now.
Are wine coolers worth it?
It depends on how much you like you're wine! If you enjoy the occasional glass and don't tend to keep bottles, then one of our experts' best fridge/freezers with a wine rack included is probably ample.
However, if you're spending a bit more on your wine and intend to store it, then a wine cooler is a good idea. This is because it will keep bottles at the optimum temperature. As we all know, a standard household fridge gets a lot of use, so the door is constantly being opened and closed, making it harder to maintain consistent temperatures.
Unlike your fridge, a wine cooler is also designed to protect your bottles. Many feature tinted or UV treated doors to avoid damage from sunlight, and they offer dedicated storage to avoid any knocks. Plus, of course, there's the style factor – if you can fit a cooler in your kitchen and you have the budget, they can be a chic addition.
How to choose the best wine cooler
Every kitchen and wine collection is unique, so it's important to find a wine cooler that works for you. Here's what to consider before you buy.
Capacity
When deciding which wine cooler is right for you, bottle capacity should be at the top of your list. The smallest cooler on our list can fit 21 bottles, making it most suitable for those who crack open the occasional vintage, while the largest can fit an impressive 190, making it a better pick if you regularly host dinner parties or collect wine.
Built-in or freestanding
You'll need to ask yourself whether you want an integrated cooler — i.e. built into your existing kitchen set-up, in between cupboards or other appliances — or if you would prefer to plug in and be ready to go with a freestanding model.
Neither of the two is better, so it simply comes down to what works for your space.
Single or dual temperature
Some wine coolers come with two separate compartments that can be set to different temperatures, so you can store your red wine at room temperature along with your chilled whites and rosés in the same fridge.
If you only like one colour of grape, or you're simply looking to have plenty of cold wine ready for those balmy summer nights, then a single-zone model should suffice.
How we test wine coolers
Our Good Housekeeping Institute experts use a data logger — an electronic device designed to automatically monitor and record environmental conditions — to check that each wine cooler stayed at the right temperature over two hours, 24 hours and 48 hours. If the fridge had multiple temperature zones, they checked the temperature stability for each compartment.
They also measure how quickly each machine returned to the optimal temperature after its door was left open for two minutes, as well as its energy consumption over 48 hours. Finally, they considered each model's ease of use, instructions and design elements to determine the best buys.
Alison is head of content for the Good Housekeeping Institute, responsible for product reviews across homes, beauty, wellness, family and food & drink. She lives by the William Morris quote that you should “have nothing in your house that you do not know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful.”
Alison has over 15 years' experience as a lifestyle editor and has written features on everything from misophonia to how to dress like Claudia on The Traitors. She has also interviewed everyone from Dame Joanna Lumley to the Kardashians.
In her spare time, you'll find her hanging out with Monty the cocker spaniel and refreshing the Sezane website every five seconds.
Blossom is passionate about finding the best home products and appliances for GH readers. As head of the homes testing team, she has led reviews across multiple categories, from pizza ovens, and smart plugs to portable fans and hobs. She enjoys delving into the intricacies of products and refining testing protocols to ensure we’re testing them against their claims. Her aim is to find the top-performing products on the market, to help take the hard work out of housework. Blossom’s most notable accomplishment in the lab has been toasting 528 slices of bread in her quest to find the best toasters money can buy. In her free time, she openly admits to being a music geek and indulges her creative side through crocheting, baking, singing and writing.


15 best mattress toppers to shop in 2025

18 best kettles that are just our cup of tea

9 best electric lawnmowers for a pristine lawn

12 best flavoured gins, expert tested