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The Spruce Eats / Sabrina Jiang
A refrigerator gets the job done when it comes to chilling drinks, but if you’re serious about your wines, beers, and sodas, you know all too well that the precious real estate inside your fridge can quickly disappear—that’s where a dedicated beverage fridge comes in. Not only does having a small, drinks-only refrigerator make you look like you truly have your life together, but it can also be key in terms of temperature control, especially where wines are concerned. So, if you don’t have a wine cellar at your disposal and are running out of room in the family fridge, a cooler is the solution.
Here are the best beverage coolers.
Best Overall
Lanbo Lockable Compact Stainless Steel 18-Bottle/55-Can Drink Refrigerator
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Amazon
Temperature efficient
Great for beer and wine
Two different sizes
Pricey
Loud motor
If you’re looking for something versatile, efficient, and reliable, this multipurpose beverage center checks all the boxes. With dual-temperature chambers and smart controls, a front vent (so you can build it into cabinetry), security locks, adjustable shelves, an odor-reducing carbon filter, and a high-efficiency compressor with powerful circulation, this cooler ensures that your bottles and cans are safe and sound on their respective sides. Note that the left zone’s temperature ranges from 41 to 64 degrees, while the right zone ranges from 39 to 50 degrees. This is a very quiet machine, but you’ll hear the occasional noise as the compressor works.
Price at time of publish: $849
Dimensions (HxWxD): 33.9 x 23.4 x 25.3 inches | Bottle Storage: 18 bottles, 55 cans | Temperature Range: 41 to 64 degrees Fahrenheit (left), 39 to 50 degrees Fahrenheit (right)
Best Budget
Ivation 12-Bottle Single Zone Freestanding Wine Refrigerator
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Courtesy of Amazon
Wide temperature range
Thin dimensions
LED lighting
Best for wine, not other beverages
Small capacity
Compact and budget-friendly, this 12-bottle freestanding wine cooler is a straightforward solution for small collections looking to live harmoniously in a single temperature zone. It's perfect if you’re passionate about having a variety of chilled wines on hand at any given time or have a small collection of special cellar-worthy vino. This cooler features a temperature range of 41 to 64 degrees, a double-paned glass door, LED lighting, touchscreen controls, a built-in fan for cooling consistency, and removable racks.
Price at time of publish: $250
Dimensions: 9.92 x 17.72 x 31.18 inches | Bottle Storage: 12 bottles | Temperature Range: 41 to 64 degrees Fahrenheit
Best for Wine
Kalamera 46-Bottle Dual Zone Wine Cooler Refrigerator
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Amazon
Two different temperature ranges
Clean, simple design
Bright lighting
Smaller than advertised capacity
No customer service
For wine lovers missing the luxury of a cellar, a cooler is essential, whether you’re storing reds long-term or just enjoy keeping chilled wines on hand at all times. In order to have both in your home, you’ll want to invest in a dual-zone cooler because different wines are best served at different temperatures.
This top-rated 46-bottle freestanding model is as sleek and functional as they come, featuring a stainless steel construction, door lock, adjustable racks, touchscreen control for both zones, and low-noise machinery. With a front vent, it can even be built into your furniture. The top zone holds 16 bottles and has a temperature range of 40 to 50 degrees, while the bottom zone has enough space for 30 bottles and features a wider temperature range of 50 to 66 degrees.
Price at time of publish: $959
Dimensions: 23.4 x 33 x 22.4 inches | Bottle Storage: 46 bottles | Temperature Range: 40 to 50 degrees Fahrenheit (upper), 50 to 66 degrees Fahrenheit (lower)
Best for Cans
Whynter 121-Can Freestanding Beverage Refrigerator
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Amazon
Ultra low temperatures (great for cold beer!)
Chic design
Touchscreen controls
Small temperature range
Give your beer and soda cans a functional and aesthetically pleasing home in the form of this freestanding drink cooler, which holds an astonishing 121 standard 12-ounce cans behind tempered double-pane glass for enhanced UV protection. The temperature within its single zone is nice and even thanks to fan circulation, which works in tandem with the machine’s powerful compressor to keep things perfectly cool inside. The temperature can be set between 34 and 43 degrees using touchscreen controls, and you can even lock the door to keep others out.
Price at time of publish: $415
Dimensions (HxWxD): 33 x 19 x 18.25 inches | Bottle Storage: 121 standard cans | Temperature Range: 34 to 43 degrees Fahrenheit
Best Combo
Phiestina Dual-Zone, French Door Wine and Beverage Refrigerator
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Amazon
Removable shelves
Two different zones
Runs quietly
Takes up lots of space
Phiestina’s 2-zone wine and beverage cooler offers six cubic feet of storage space to hold any beverage you can dream of, whether that’s cases of cans or magnums of wine. The wide design and generous capacity allow you to store up to 33 bottles of wine and 100 cans of beer, soda, or other canned beverages of your choosing. The two zones and double doors let you keep beverages at two different temperatures: think icy cold beers on one side and age-worthy wines on the other. The left side chills between 40 and 66 degrees while the can section chills to 38 and 50 degrees.
Price at time of publish: $994
Dimensions: 30.5 x 33.9 x 22.4 inches | Bottle Storage: 33 bottles, 100 cans | Temperature Range: 40 to 66 degrees Fahrenheit (left), 38 to 50 degrees Fahrenheit (right)
Best Mini
Frigidaire Portable Retro Mini Fridge
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Home Depot
Includes a speaker
Portable
Retro design is on trend
Short life
Quality matches price
If you’re just looking to keep a few cans of soda or beer cold, this is really all you need. The Frigidaire Portable Retro Fridge is amazing for small spaces begging for a pop of color, like studio apartments and dorm rooms. You can even plug it into a car adapter to keep drinks cold on your next beach outing or road trip. With space for just six cans, it’s tiny yet mighty, operating on a thermoelectric system with cooling temperatures up to 20 degrees below ambient temperature.
Price at time of publish: $50
Dimensions: 10 x 9 x 11 inches | Bottle Storage: 6 standard cans | Temperature Range: 32 to 150 degrees Fahrenheit
Best for Professionals
Transtherm Loft Wine Cabinet
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Transtherm
Excellent for wine preservation
Constant circulation
Cooling and heating technology
Small temperature capacity
Just for wine
Wine experts don’t mess around with their bottles, and neither does Transtherm, a cult-favorite storage and preservation brand within the wine community. The company's catalog is mostly made up of larger wine fridges, but this cabinet is perfect for home use, especially if your collection needs care that’s a cut above the consumer standard.
These appliances, all of which are made in France, feature both cooling and heating technology to suit a variety of climates, humidity management, automatic temperature control, ventilation, constant circulation, digital temperature display, and more. The Loft Wine Cabinet holds up to 72 Bordeaux-style bottles on six sliding shelves behind a reversible door.
Dimensions: 37 x 26.7 x 27 inches | Bottle Storage: 72 bottles | Temperature Range: 42 to 64 degrees Fahrenheit
Best Splurge
EuroCave Pure S Wine Cellar
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Wine Enthusiast
Widely regarded for its durability and efficacy, EuroCave wine cellars are worth the investment if you'll use yours often. This brand has been around since 1976 and is right up there with Transtherm as far as industry favorites and innovation goes. The Pure S wine cellar, available exclusively through Wine Enthusiast, comes with either a glass or opaque door that can be opened from the left or right side. It's energy-efficient and incredibly quiet, too. Touchscreen controls, a humidity alarm system, LED lighting, and a customizable interior help seal the deal.
Price at time of publish: $3,495 - $3,795
Dimensions: 44.2 x 27.75 x 32.52 inches | Bottle Storage: 74 bottles | Temperature Range: 41 to 68 degrees Fahrenheit
In general, but especially during very hot weather, you’ll want a place for your wines where the temperature remains stable and offers good humidity control, says Brice Eymard, managing director of the CIVP, an organization representing the wines and appellations of France’s Provence region. This is doubly important for wines that you plan on storing long-term, though having a dedicated environment for something you’d like to drink right away is important, too.
If you’re looking for a versatile and efficient drink cooler, the multipurpose Lanbo Compact Stainless Steel Drink Refrigerator is spacious and quiet with dual-temperature controls. If you prefer something smaller and more affordable, consider the Ivation Freestanding Wine and Beverage Cooler. While it only has a single temperature zone, it ranges from 41 to 64 degrees and comes with a slew of features, like a built-in fan for cooling consistency.
What to Look for When Buying a Beverage Cooler
Use
Beverage coolers can store different types of beverages from sodas, beer, wine, and more. But if your goal is to store bottles of wine, then look for a cooler that is geared for providing the perfect conditions and temperatures needed for wine. Some coolers can accommodate wine bottles on one side and accommodate cans on the other, offering separate temperature zones for each side.
Capacity
Think about how many bottles or cans you want a beverage cooler to be able to hold, and make sure you get one large enough to accommodate your needs. Adjustable shelves come in handy to fit different size cans or bottles, too.
Placement
Decide how much room you have in your home and where you want to place the beverage cooler. If you want to install it under the counter in the kitchen and build it in, make sure you get one that allows you to do that. Some coolers are freestanding and can go anywhere, while others offer the capability of being built-in or left freestanding.
FAQs
Is it worth having a beverage cooler?
If you like having your beverages—whether it be wine, beer, sodas, or all of the above—at the proper temperature, then having one of these coolers in your home can be beneficial. Beverage coolers also provide a committed space for your choice of drinks, freeing up refrigerator space for your food items.
Are beverage coolers noisy?
Every beverage cooler is different, and yes, some are noisier than others. You will most likely hear the compressor kick in or the fan running, just like you would with a refrigerator. Compare models and look for noise levels, energy efficiency, and warranty.
What is the best temperature for wine?
White and rosé wines are best kept between 45 F to 50 F, while red wine should be stored at 50 F to 65 F.
Why Trust The Spruce Eats?
Wine writer Céline Bossart doesn’t have the kind of willpower it takes to store wine longer than a few months, but she does try. As someone who has picked up a seltzer habit during quarantine, she knows the importance of keeping drinks at the correct temperature, as you never know when the need for another round will strike.