Commercial Wine Fridges

While standard commercial refrigerators and Commercial Wine Fridges both hold temperature, they have a few key differences. Conventional fridges that you use to store cooked food or fresh produce don’t typically have humidity control and they’re often a lot cooler than Commercial Wine Fridges.

The average fridge will range between 2℃ and 8℃, which is generally cooler than wine needs in order to be served at the optimal temperature. Typically, the coldest temperature is 5℃, ranging up to 22℃ to accommodate things like red wine including sparkling red which only needs to be gently chilled.

Wine fridges also come with features that protect your wine for longer periods of time. With light and heat both being major factors in the quality of wine, UV protective glass doors will prevent sunlight from compromising your stock. Equally, consistent humidity will ensure corked wines stay in good condition for longer periods of time.

Absolutely. Wine is a delicate product, sensitive to everything from light and heat to changes in humidity and even vibration. Wine fridges allow you to control the external factors that could compromise the quality of your wines, storing them for longer periods of time while also ensuring they’re at the optimal conditions for serving - whether that’s to customers or for yourself with an at-home wine fridge.

Different wines require slightly different conditions to be enjoyed the way they were intended. Wine requires a degree of delicacy when it’s served, with white wine requiring slightly different temperatures than red wine. By opting for a dual-zone wine fridge, you can store different varietals of wine in the same fridge, rather than having to invest in multiple fridges to achieve the same results.

When you order a wine fridge from Restaurant Equipment Online, the manufacturer guidelines will give you more comprehensive information regarding which settings to use for different wines. However, as a general guideline, we recommend keeping your wines at the following temperatures both for their quality and to deliver the optimal drinking experience to your patrons.

Sparkling wines need to be the coldest, including champagne. These should be stored between 5℃ and 8℃. Next, white wines like chardonnay, sauvignon blanc, and pinot grigio and light wines like rosé need to be a little warmer, with their optimal temperature sitting between 7℃ and 12℃.

While red wine is usually served and enjoyed at roughly room temperature, chilling it slightly can enhance the flavours significantly. Equally, storing them at a consistent temperature will mean you can keep them for longer periods of time without risking sedimentation or fermentation. For light and medium-bodied red wines like grenache and pinot noir we’d recommend aiming between 13℃ and 15℃. Finally, full-bodied reds like cabernet sauvignon and merlot are best kept slightly warmer - anywhere between 15℃ and 20℃ is ideal.

While screw-top wine bottles are increasingly common, higher quality and top shelf wines will still come with a cork. Consistent humidity is especially important for corked wines. While the cork itself is wrapped in foil or wax, it can still degrade over time, becoming shrunken or begin to crumble. Not only can it degrade into the wine itself, but this will also mean the wine isn’t properly sealed and result in it spoiling. Humidity needs to be around 70% as a general guideline to prevent the cork from degrading, which Commercial Wine Fridges maintain for your collection’s longevity.

Yes, absolutely. With a single bottle of champagne costing anywhere from $60 or more, let alone vintage wines, it’s worth having lockable functionality to secure your stock. Many of our Commercial Wine Fridges come with locks, we recommend the range from Thermaster in particular.

Whether you’re running a restaurant or simply want something spacious for your own personal wine collection, there are a few large models of wine fridge we recommend. Those from Williams, which have dual doors and can accommodate up to 140 bottles are an excellent choice, as are the options from Grand Cru. Equally, looking for models with dual-temperature is also useful, especially for wine collectors who want to store a multitude of varieties or a mix of red and white wine.

Yes, the more compact, low-profile models we stock can be stand-alone, or you can integrate them into your bar setup. To find options that are ideal for integrating with your bar, you can filter by height, width and depth to find under bench fridges, or you can contact the team at REO, and we can offer you a personal recommendation.

If you want something for at home, the options from Grand Cru are ideal. They offer great insulation, humidity control, can accommodate up to 40 bottles and also attractively display your wine. This makes it easy to keep everything in perfect condition, ready to drink and beautifully accessible - no matter whether you’re entertaining guests or simply enjoying a special bottle.