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Best wine coolers and wine fridges
Wine fridges or coolers are specially designed refrigeration appliances that keep wine stored at the ideal temperature before serving.
Our rigorous tests have found wine fridges that do their job brilliantly – and others that just aren't worth the investment.
We've reviewed Caple wine coolers, CDA wine coolers and models from Candy, Haier, and Hoover, costing from £170 upwards.
Our testing revealed a Great Value option that's over £400 cheaper than one of our Best Buy recommendations – proving you don't have to pay over the odds for a safe home for your wine collection.
Our research also revealed an expensive Don't Buy wine cooler you'll want to avoid.
How our tests find you the best
We've tested 24 wine coolers
We assess wine coolers from big brands and at different price points to help you find the right size, and the best balance between value and performance.
Thermostat accuracy
Doctors, engineers, and sommeliers all stress the importance of accuracy. Is your wine actually at the right temperature? We tell you which can be trusted.
Cooling power
How quickly can it chill bottles down to the target temperature? A rapid cooler will save you from having to plop ice cubes in your glass of chardonnay.
We also test...
Our annual running cost projections show how much each cooler could add to your bills, so you can keep pounds in your pocket for more wine in your cooler.
The wine coolers we tested
The biggest brands and the 10 most popular wine coolers are listed below.
Only logged-in Which? members can view the wine cooler test results below.
Join Which? to get instant access to our test results and Best Buy recommendations.
| Wine cooler | Price | Temperature accuracy | Cooling power | Temperature stability in hot rooms | Annual running cost | Bottle capacity |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Sign up to reveal Get instant access to this and all our scores and recommendations Unlock tableDigital £8.99 per month, cancel any time. Already a member? Log in | ||||||
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Get instant access to this and all our scores and recommendations
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Date tested: April 2025, May 2024, July 2023, September 2022, September 2021, February 2020, December 2019. Page last checked July 2025. We are not able to show every retailer and cheaper prices may be available. We've tested 24 wine coolers in total, but the table shows our top picks only.
A selection of the wine coolers we tested are listed in alphabetical order below.
Only logged-in Which? members can view the best wine coolers from our tests.
Join Which? to get instant access to our test results and Best Buy recommendations below.
AEG AWUS020B5B
Most recently tested July 2023
Size 82 x 29.5 x 57.1cm (HxWxD)
Type and bottle capacity Single zone, integrated, 20 bottles
Need to know UV-resistant glass, reversible door, wooden shelves
AEG AWUS052B5B
Most recently tested July 2023
Size 82 x 59.5 x 56.5cm (HxWxD)
Type and bottle capacity Single zone, integrated, 52 bottles
Need to know UV-resistant glass, reversible door, wooden shelves,
Bosch KUW20VHF0G
Most recently tested September 2022
Size 82 x 30 x 57cm (HxWxD)
Type and bottle capacity Single zone, integrated, 18 bottles
Need to know UV-resistant glass, reversible door, child lock on controls, wooden shelves, open door and high-temperature alarms, similar models from Neff (KU9202HF0G) and Siemens (iQ500 KU20WVHF0G)
Candy CCVB-30
Most recently tested February 2020
Size 86 x 30 x 57cm (HxWxD)
Type and bottle capacity Single zone, integrated, 19 bottles
Need to know UV-resistant glass, reversible door, child lock on controls, wooden shelves, water tank designed to control humidity level
Caple Wi3125GM
Most recently tested September 2021
Size 82 x 30 x 57cm (HxWxD)
Type and bottle capacity Single zone, integrated, 19 bottles
Need to know UV-resistant glass, reversible door, wooden shelves, black or stainless steel
See best red wines: supermarket reds that impressed for our round-up of affordable supermarket reds
Caple Wi6143BG
Most recently tested May 2024
Size 82 x 59.4 x 57.6cm (HxWxD)
Type and bottle capacity Single zone, integrated or freestanding, 52 bottles
Need to know UV-resistant glass, reversible door, child lock on controls, wooden shelves, open door and high-temperature alarms, water tank designed to control humidity level
CDA FWV601BL/3
Most recently tested May 2024
Size 59.5 x 58.7 x 55cm (HxWxD)
Type and bottle capacity Single zone, integrated, 40 bottles
Need to know UV-resistant glass, reversible door, wooden shelves, open door and high-temperature alarms
CDA FWV902BL/3
Most recently tested May 2024
Size 88.3 x 59 x 55cm (HxWxD)
Type and bottle capacity Dual zone, integrated, 55 bottles
Need to know UV-resistant glass, reversible door, wooden shelves, open door and high-temperature alarms, door handle needs to be attached
CDA Nancy Dark Skies
Most recently tested May 2024
Size 86.6 x 36 x 41cm (HxWxD)
Type and bottle capacity Single zone, freestanding, 15 bottles
Need to know UV-resistant glass, removable can drawer in base of cooler, metal shelves, open door alarm, wireless phone charger on top, door not reversible, also available in tea rose or white
Haier HWS49GA
Most recently tested September 2021
Size 82 x 49.5 x 58.5cm (HxWxD)
Type and bottle capacity Single zone, freestanding, 49 bottles
Need to know UV-resistant glass, reversible door, child lock on controls, height-adjustable wooden shelves, open door alarm
More wine coolers from our tests
Here’s how the rest of the wine coolers from our tests measured up, listed in alphabetical order.
| Wine cooler | Price | Score | Temperature accuracy | Cooling power | Annual running costs | Bottle capacity |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Caple WF334 | SQUIRREL_TEXT_50020732 | 35 | ||||
| Cavin Polar Collection 49 (WB49B) | Elite Wine Refrigeration(£549) (Out of stock) | 45 | ||||
| CDA FWC304SS | SQUIRREL_TEXT_12881151 | 20 | ||||
| CDA FWC604SS | SQUIRREL_TEXT_12880156 | 45 | ||||
| CDA FWC624SS | SQUIRREL_TEXT_12881153 | 38 | ||||
| Dellonda Baridi DH6 | SQUIRREL_TEXT_50020733 | 18 | ||||
| Haier HWS42GDAU1 | SQUIRREL_TEXT_12878611 | 42 |
Date tested: April 2025, May 2024, July 2023, September 2022, September 2021, February 2020, December 2019. Page last checked July 2025. We are not able to show every retailer and cheaper prices may be available.
Which? Don't Buy wine coolers
Our tests uncover the best and the worst. If a product performs so poorly that we think you should avoid it, we call it a Don't Buy.
We've tested one wine cooler that we've named a Don't Buy. It's let down by slow cooling and unimpressive temperature accuracy.
To find out which they are, and which wine coolers earned our Best Buy and Great Value recommendations, log in or join Which?
How we test wine coolers
We put wine coolers through a full set of tough scientific tests to find the ones that excel in all these key areas.
- Accuracy of the thermostat We test to see if a wine cooler can chill room-temperature bottles down to 12°C and maintain this temperature. For dual-temperature zone models, we set one zone to 12°C and the other to 7°C.
- Cooling power We fill each wine cooler to capacity with room-temperature bottles of wine and record the time taken for these to cool to the target temperature.
- Temperature stability We raise the temperature in our test chamber to 32°C and see whether the wine remains safely chilled. We then lower the room temperature to a chilly 10°C and recheck the temperature of the wine.
- Annual running cost We measure how much energy each wine cooler uses to keep cool over 24 hours, as well as how much it uses to chill room-temperature bottles. We then calculate what this is likely to add to your energy bill.
We regularly revisit the wine coolers on sale to see if there are any more popular models that need testing – and when we find them we run the test.
Find out more about how Which? is not influenced by product manufacturers or retailers and how your support helps us to stay editorially independent.
What temperature should a wine cooler be?
White wines temperature
White wines are best served at a temperature between 7 and 11°C, depending on the grape variety (or varieties) used. The lower temperature helps accentuate the acidity, enhancing the freshness and crispness associated with a really good white.
White wines also have higher volumes of organic compounds, such as aldehydes and terpenes, which at lower temperatures can fill the head of the glass with the fruity aromas that can improve your wine-drinking experience.
Red wines temperature
Red wines have higher levels of tannins and polyphenols, and these are better tasted at slightly higher temperatures of between 12-19°C.
Contrary to popular belief and practice, room temperature is usually a little too warm for serving reds. It's actually better to serve them a little cooler, because as they warm in the glass they begin to release those excellent aromas.
Best wine cooler features to consider
From the essential to the optional, here are some of the key features to consider when choosing a wine cooler.
Temperature zones If you favour just one type of wine, consider a single-temperature zone cooler. A dual-temperature zone model gives you options for storing reds and whites.
UV-resistant glass doors The cooler doors' protective glass will help limit the damaging effects of UV rays on your wine.
Charcoal air filter This filters the air entering the cooler, preventing odours from affecting the taste of your wine. Air filters can also help reduce the build-up of dust inside the wine cooler.
Door lock Keeps your collection of wines safe and secure from inquisitive children, experimental teens and jealous sommeliers.
Reversible doors Just as they do with a conventional refrigerator, reversible doors give you more choice on where to position your wine cooler.
Upright storage space This uncommon feature allows you to place opened but unfinished bottles back in the wine cooler without the fear of them potentially leaking while on their sides.
Temperature alarm This will sound to let you know if the door has been left open or if the temperature inside the cooler has dropped below the set temperature.
Height and width-adjustable shelves The shelves in most wine coolers are designed to fit a standard 750ml Bordeaux-shaped bottle. If your collection includes champagne, magnums or even bigger bottles, then adjustable shelving is an absolute must.
Wooden and sliding shelves Metal racking can sometimes lead to scratched bottles and torn labels, so serious collectors prefer wooden shelves. Sliding shelves make it easier to see and remove bottles from your collection.