FAVOURITES
GO TO FAVOURITES
If you’re keen to entertain in style at home perhaps a luxury home bar is a great investment. A successful design should start with the right choice of wine cooler. Read on to discover a selection of product manager Luke’s favourite wine cabinets, and how they can elevate your entertaining to the next level.
Are wine cabinet really worth it? Does my home bar actually need one? Can’t I just store my wine in my regular fridge instead? These are all really common questions from customers. And the answers are yes, yes and absolutely not!
The truth is, however much functionality your kitchen fridge has, this appliance hasn’t been designed to store wine at the correct temperature. And, if you don’t store your bottles properly, they will lose their flavour and you’ll have wasted your money. Importantly, it’s not just whites that should be stored in wine cabinets.
Lots of people keep their reds in their kitchen cupboards. But did you know that every type ages more quickly if it’s stored at temperatures higher than 21°C? In other words, where storing fine wine is concerned, too warm is just as bad as too cold. Happily, wine cabinets are specifically designed to create that ‘just right’ storage temperature, which is between 12°-14°C for most bottles.
While a customised home bar will help you to socialise in style, there’s plenty of substance to consider too. We offer a huge range of high-performance wine cabinets that combine both function and form. But before you make your choice, you’ll need to consider size, location and budget. How much entertaining (Bank Holiday or otherwise) do you do? Have you considered how many bottles you generally need storage for? How many temperature zones do you require? And where in your kitchen/living space will your home bar go?
If you’re thinking of an undercounter wine cabinet for your home bar, I would recommend our new Sense Premium Wi6155 model. This dual-zone wine cooler can be independently controlled. For example, the 5-10°C upper zone could accommodate sparkling wine for serving, while the 10-18°C lower zone could be used for storage. This appliance can accommodate 44 bottles, including Champagne. Telescopic beech-fronted wire shelves feature a steel trim, which matches the stainless-steel handle on the black glass frame.
With sleek touch controls and a white LED display, this model is ideal for those who love entertaining at home. You can even opt for additional extras, such as wine labels and holders, so this model could be perfect for a luxury home bar. The door is also reversible and this model comes at an adjustable height to fit a 100-150mm plinth, which helps to make installation easy.
Importantly, wine cabinets don’t just offer optimum temperature consistency. Unlike your regular fridge, they also ensure humidity and vibration control (too much of either is bad for your wine). This advanced model incorporates clever no-frost compressor cooling technology to maintain a consistent temperature, plus a charcoal filter, to purify the air and protect your wine corks from damage.
If you or your guests don’t just drink wine, you might be wondering whether it’s worth including this appliance in your home bar setting. However, some of our wine cabinets, such as our Wi6155 and our new Sense Premium Wi3155 model,offer clever convertible (glass) shelving to accommodate cans. This allows you to create a more versatile home bar that also incorporates beer, spirit mixers and soft drinks – perfect for those Bank Holiday parties. And why not be inspired by double Olympic champion Dame Kelly Holmes, who also stores her favourite gin in her Caple wine cabinet?
Still on the subject of shelving, unlike your regular fridge, we specifically design our wine cabinets to store your bottles horizontally. That’s because keeping these on their sides keep the corks moist. Did you know that a dried-out cork can cause wine seepage and premature ageing? Even screw-top bottles can benefit from horizontal storage, as this maximises the space available and ensures easy access.
Our new chic Wi3155 black glass undercounter wine cabinet is perfect if space is a premium, although it can still hold a respectable 20 bottles. From 750ml Bordeaux and Burgundy to Champagne, you’ll find you are covered with this model. With a single temperature zone, you can take your pick from storing red, white or sparkling wine at optimum conditions. Access is easy with telescopic beech-fronted shelves, which look super-stylish with a steel trim to match the stainless-steel door handle.
However, if your home bar space is better suited to an in-column model, we have plenty of dedicated coolers to choose from. Serious party people are sure to love our Sense Classic WC1792 model. This is an impressive triple-zone appliance that can hold up to 89 Bordeaux-style wine bottles with a one-piece stainless-steel door for a super-sleek finish. It’s already got the seal of approval from Made in Chelsea’s Tiffany Mc Geehan (née Watson) – watch her latest reel below.
View this post on Instagram
You can also find out what she really thinks of her new WC1792 wine cabinet here:
“We had a smaller Caple wine cooler in our last flat. Now, with a bigger kitchen, we love the fact that we’ve got space for the WC1792. It’s the first thing people comment on when they come into the heart of our home! It’s great that different temperature zones can accommodate reds, whites, rosés or even Champagne. As I’m pregnant, our, wine cabinet is stacked full with Champagne and wine, most of which were wedding presents. I’m very much looking forward to enjoying a glass of perfectly chilled bubbly later this year. I know it’s important to store wine at the right temperature in perfect conditions. So, I no longer have to worry about this before hosting.”
If you want to move your home bar for different occasions, consider freestanding wine cabinets instead. You can easily transport this type of wine cooler to a different location within your property. An added bonus? If you move house, you can take your wine cabinet with you too!
I’m a big fan of our Sense WF1533 Freestanding Triple Zone Wine Cooler in black glass. Perfect if you’re planning a lot of entertaining, it stores up to 111 Bordeaux-style bottles. This model is vibration-free and has a toughened, UV-protected glass door (direct sunlight can also damage the flavour and aroma of your wine). It even includes a high temperature and open-door alarm.
Bigger doesn’t always mean better if your square footage can’t accommodate it. Fortunately, we have wine cabinets to suit every size and space. If your home bar area is more bijou than bountiful, I recommend our Classic WF334 Freestanding Single Zone Wine Cooler in stainless steel. Surprisingly spacious, this compact, single zone model can hold up to 35 Bordeaux-style wine bottles. Simply add a cocktail shaker, some fancy glasses on a pretty tray, and a quality corkscrew. Then let the Bank Holiday celebrations begin!
Planning to cook up a storm to entertain friends and family during these long weekends in May? Then read our blog on the benefits of stainless steel and gas on glass hobs to help you cook in style.
