Top 4 compared
The best wine coolers
Wine kept at a steady temperature, ready to pour, without taking over the kitchen fridge.
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The top 4 at a glance
A wine cooler is a small fridge with shelves shaped for bottles rather than food. Wine keeps best somewhere cool, dark and steady, and what harms it most is a sudden swing in temperature: that’s the job a cooler takes on. Some sit on a worktop or sideboard; others stand on the floor, on their own or tucked under a worktop, and some build into a run of kitchen units.
Every cooler here carries a G on the energy label, so the yearly kWh figure is the better guide to running costs. Makers also rate a cooler for the room it stands in: Subcold, for one, gives 16 to 32°C for the Viva16. Most have a light inside and a glass door.
What matters
- The tallest bottle the shelves take, not only how many.
- Glass that filters UV light, if the room gets the sun.
- A noise figure in decibels, for a living room or bedroom.
#1Subcold Viva16 Wine Fridge (VIVA16LED-BL)
£150–£200
A worktop-sized wine fridge with compressor cooling and the lowest setting here, 3°C, cold enough for beer and soft drinks as well as wine. At 56.5cm tall it sits on a sideboard or counter, and the glass door locks with a key.
What owners say: Owners like how quickly it gets cold and how steadily it then holds the temperature, and are pleased with the soft glow of its light.
A closer look: Stand it on a firm, level surface and use the adjustable feet to stop any rocking, leaving a little space around it so the warm air it gives off can get away. The three wire shelves lift out, which frees up room for taller bottles or a few cans.
- Compressor cooling
- Lockable glass door, two keys
- Three removable wire shelves
- LED light inside
Best for: Worktops and sideboards
- Bottles
- 16
- Width
- 43cm
- Temperature range
- 3–18°C
- Fitting
- Tabletop
- Energy
- G, 133kWh a year
- Noise
- 39dB
#2Dellonda Baridi 18-Bottle Wine Cooler (DH6)
£194.98 RRP
Eighteen bottles in a body only 34.5cm wide, so it fits a narrow gap beside the units. The tempered mirror-glass door helps reflect UV light, Baridi says, and an LED light shows what’s inside.
What owners say: Owners describe it as solidly built and quiet, and one says it makes good use of a small space.
Heads up: It cools but can’t warm: Baridi notes it won’t rise above the room’s temperature, so keep it somewhere warmer than the setting you want.
A closer look: Under a counter, Baridi asks for 5cm of space behind and 3cm above and at the sides so it can breathe. Bottles up to 33cm tall fit the waved metal shelves, which cradle each one on its side and lift out for cleaning.
- Mirror glass door reflects UV
- Compressor cooling
- Touch controls
- Waved shelves lift out
- Bottles up to 33cm tall
Best for: A mirrored look in the kitchen
- Bottles
- 18
- Width
- 34.5cm
- Temperature range
- 5–18°C
- Fitting
- Freestanding or under-counter
- Energy
- G, 120kWh a year
- Noise
- 42dB
#3Cookology 20-Bottle Under-Counter Wine Cooler (CWC301BK)
£299.99 RRP
Twenty bottles in a cabinet just 29.5cm wide, on five beech wood shelves that slide out so a label can be read without lifting bottles out. It stands on its own or goes under a worktop, and the door can hang on either side.
What owners say: Owners say it slots neatly under a worktop and goes in without fuss, helped by clear instructions, and that it really does hold wine down at 5°C.
A closer look: When the buttons stop responding, the controls have most likely been locked: holding the light and power buttons together for three seconds frees them. Cookology chose beech for the shelves to stop condensation, and sliding one out to check a label beats reaching past the front bottles.
- Slide-out beech shelves
- UV-protective double-glazed door
- Reversible door
- Adjustable feet
- Buttons can be locked
Best for: Under-counter storage
- Bottles
- 20
- Width
- 29.5cm
- Temperature range
- 5–20°C
- Fitting
- Freestanding or under-counter
- Energy
- G, 135kWh a year
- Noise
- 41dB
#4Russell Hobbs 7-Bottle Slim Wine Cooler (RHBI7WC1SS)
£200–£300
Only 15cm wide, it fills the narrow gaps other wine coolers can’t: build it into a run of kitchen units or let it stand on its own. Seven bottles lie one above another on chrome shelves, kept between 5 and 18°C.
What owners say: Owners find it simple to fit and to set, and say it keeps wine at the temperature they chose.
Heads up: Built in, it needs a space 15.5cm wide, 87.5cm high and 57cm deep, so measure the gap before ordering.
A closer look: Each shelf takes a single standard bottle, so fat Champagne or Burgundy bottles may not fit; it suits a handful of everyday wines best. The hinges swap sides, handy where it ends a run of units.
- Reversible door
- Adjustable feet
- Chrome shelves
- One bottle per shelf
Best for: A slim slot among the units
- Bottles
- 7
- Width
- 15cm
- Temperature range
- 5–18°C
- Fitting
- Built-in or freestanding
- Energy
- G, 108kWh a year
- Noise
- 41dB
How they compare
Swipe sideways or rotate device to see all 4.
| Feature | #1Subcold Viva16 | #2Baridi DH6 | #3Cookology CWC301BK | #4Russell Hobbs RHBI7WC1SS |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best overall | Most bottles | Slimmest | ||
| Picked Rating | 8.8 | 8.7 | 8.5 | 8.3 |
| Price | £150–£200 | £194.98 RRP | £299.99 RRP | £200–£300 |
| Bottles | 16 | 18 | 20 | 7 |
| Width | 43cm | 34.5cm | 29.5cm | 15cm |
| Temperature range | 3–18°C | 5–18°C | 5–20°C | 5–18°C |
| Fitting | Tabletop | Freestanding or under-counter | Freestanding or under-counter | Built-in or freestanding |
| Energy | G, 133kWh a year | G, 120kWh a year | G, 135kWh a year | G, 108kWh a year |
| Noise | 39dB | 42dB | 41dB | 41dB |
| Best for | Worktops and sideboards | A mirrored look in the kitchen | Under-counter storage | A slim slot among the units |
| Buy now | Amazon | Amazon | Amazon | Amazon |
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