Can a refrigerator be sexy?

For the vast majority of people, the answer to this mysterious question is most likely no. But, dear reader, bear with us and we will try to explain why.

Many of the wines we have for sale at TastingClub are so-called "treasure wines" or investment wines; good wines and Champagnes that over the years will develop into some amazing tasting experiences and as an investment can pay for themselves many times over - however, this requires correct storage, and this is where the wine refrigerator comes into the picture.

For many years, the only solution for long-term storage of wine has been a wine cellar. If you don't live in a house, don't have the space or the technical knowledge to build a wine cellar with a suitable climate, it would be a shame. Fortunately, technology has become so advanced in recent years that a wine refrigerator provides the optimal conditions for storing your wines safely.

How do you store good wine?

Many wines benefit greatly from a few years of quiet aging, where they can develop complex flavor nuances and round off the sharp edges. The very expensive wines in the heavyweight class, from GAJA for example, simply require aging for many years to unleash their full potential.

For this to happen, the wine must be aged for a long time, some wines must be aged for 10 years or more, and this must be done under a constant temperature without major fluctuations. Between 8 and 12 degrees (C) the wine has optimal conditions to develop; at colder temperatures the maturation process is slowed down and if it is warmer the process will be accelerated - both will result in a wine that does not achieve its full potential.

During storage, it is not only the constant temperature that is important, light can also affect the wine, especially sunlight is directly harmful to the wine. The humidity also plays a role, if the air is too dry, you risk that the cork will dry out and lose its ability to seal the wine. If the humidity is kept between 50 and 80%, you can be sure that both the cork and the label are in the best condition. Finally, the quality of the air can also play a role, wine that has been stored for a long time can be damaged by strong odors. All of these things have been taken into account on most of the wine coolers at TastingClub . They are equipped with an active carbon filter that ensures your wine has clean air, they have a UV filter in the door that shields it from harmful sunlight and they are equipped with LED lights that can illuminate the wine cooler without damaging the wines.

Finally, the wines should be left in peace and quiet. Sediment often collects in the bottle, so it is important that it is kept still - that is why a proper wine cooler is equipped with a so-called low-vibration compressor, which ensures that the wine is completely still the entire time it is in the wine cooler.

As mentioned, the optimal storage temperature is 8 - 12 degrees, but if we are talking about red wine, this temperature is too cold for serving. That is why several of our cabinets are equipped with 2 temperature zones. For example, you can have the wines you want to store for a longer period stored at 10 degrees, and the wines you want to drink now can be stored at a serving-friendly 17 - 18 degrees.

The Ferrari of wine coolers

To return to the initial question; can a refrigerator be sexy? Now it's not because we're crazy about white goods - but we're now quite happy with Liebherr's wine refrigerators . They are admittedly some of the most expensive, but they are also some of the very best when it comes to long-term storage of wine under optimal conditions. And after all; if you've bought a bottle of La Chapelle with the intention of storing it for the next 25 years, doesn't it deserve the best?

As a final point when it comes to wine coolers , you can choose to go all-in and have your own customized solution built in that perfectly suits your needs, something we also offer at TastingClub . We have collected some pictures of the best and wildest solutions below, if you want something similar, you are welcome to contact us for guidance.

See our large selection of wine coolers here