Do I need a dual-temperature cooler to store my wines properly?
Hello there! I'm Dr. Vinifera, but you can call me Vinny. Ask me your toughest wine questions, from the fine points of etiquette to the science of winemaking. And don't worry, I'm no wine snob—you can also ask me those "dumb questions" you're too embarrased to ask your wine geek friends! I hope you find my answers educational, empowering and even amusing. And don't forget to check out my most asked questions and my full archives for all my Q&A classics.
Dear Dr. Vinny,
I am buying a 124-bottle wine cooler with dual temperature controls. I drink red wine, but the instructions say for best use, have a 4-degree difference between areas. What do you suggest?
—David S., Atlanta
Dear David,
Dual-temperature wine coolers are designed mainly for wine lovers who want bottles kept at both storage and serving temperatures. Wines of any color are thought to be best stored at around 55 degrees F, which is an appropriate serving temperature for reds, but most people like to serve their whites cooler than that, at about 40 or 50 degrees. If your needs are only for storage, it might make more sense to find a wine cooler in your price range that meets your needs for a single-temperature zone.
But if you’re stuck with a dual-zone cooler that you’d like to keep at a consistent temperature (I have no idea why you’d be instructed to have a 4-degree difference between the areas), I’d just split the difference around your target temperature of 55 degrees: set one side to 53, the other to 57.
—Dr. Vinny
