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Hello there! I'm Dr. Vinifera, or "Vinny" for short. Ask me your toughest wine questions, from the technical aspects of winemaking to the fine points of etiquette. I hope you find my answers educational and even amusing. Looking for a particular answer? Check my archive and my FAQs.

Dear Dr. Vinny,

What is the difference between compressor and thermoelectric wine coolers? Which one would you recommend for keeping red wines?

—Leopoldo B., Buenos Aires, Argentina

Dear Leopoldo,

All other things being equal, I’d go with the thermoelectric one. These units don’t have any moving parts and therefore have low or no vibration. A compressor is more like what you’d find in a standard (food) refrigerator, with internal moving parts that are more likely to cause vibration. While there are different theories about how bad (if at all) vibration is for a bottle of wine, I know it’s not going to improve the wine, so I try to avoid it.

—Dr. Vinny

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