Are you a wine lover that enjoys their white wine chilled? Here are some of the best wine coolers available that are not bulky ice buckets. I have broken down the categories into coolers and chillers. Coolers are designed to keep cold wine bottles chilled. Chillers are designed to cool down room temperature bottles of wine faster than they would in the refrigerator. In our research, we looked at all of the best sellers and found that many people had false ideas about what these products could do. So if you are looking for something to help you keep your cold wines cold for longer than they would be sitting out at room temperature then keep reading. If you are looking for a chiller that will take a room temperature bottle of wine and cool it down, then near the bottom of this post for recommendations on the cooper cooler wine chiller. I also have a quick blurb about dual-zone fridges that will keep your wine collection in perfect condition and ready to drink at all times.
What to avoid
Stainless Steel Vacuum Insulated Designs may look great but many are not very effective. They have a sleek design and good looks that look great on your dinner table. Unfortunately, what they get wrong is that heat transfer works in both directions. So they can easily warm your wine faster than they can chill them. With this style of insulation, you really do get what you pay for.
Single Bottle Wine Cooler
Think of these single bottle coolers are hard sleeves. They are alternatives to wine buckets which can be messy and produce a lot of condensation. None of these options will chill a bottle of wine from room temperature to refrigerator temperature so do not expect that. They are designed to help keep cold bottles cold for a longer period than a sleeve or just sitting out at room temperature.
Oggi wine cooler with freezer inserts
A stainless steel iceless wine bottle chiller with freezer inserts to keep just about any bottle of wine chilled. Sleek 2-tone satin and mirror-finished stainless steel body.
Homeries marble wine chiller bucket
A standard in restaurants for a reason. Keep these in your refrigerator or freezer and they will help keep your wine chilled. Designed to hold most wine and champagne bottles. This marble wine bucket is heavy so it is not as portable as some other options.
Vacu Vin rapid ice
Utilizing a rigid shell with an internal cooling sleeve. Keep the cooling sleeve in the freezer until you need it and this will keep your wine chilled for hours. Lightweight and portable this is a perfect wine chiller for outdoor parties and barbecues or just hanging out by the pool. It claims to chill your wine in 5 minutes but I would strongly suggest starting with a chilled bottle first. The likelihood of this cooling a bottle that quickly is unrealistic. This will not work with wide bottom wine bottles or champagne either so take stock of your favorite wines before purchasing. If most of your bottles have wider bottoms then go with the champagne cooler set.
Single Bottle Wine Sleeves
A sleeve is designed to fit multiple sizes of wine bottles. The idea is that you wrap your pre-chilled wine with one of these pre-frozen sleeves and it will keep your wine chilled for an extended time. Depending on where you live and the time of year it will vary on how long it will keep the wine cold.
Le Creuset Wine Cooler Sleeve
Available in multiple color options. Nylon construction with an adjustable collar at the tapered top. 2 inner gel packs allow for pre-chilling in the fridge or freezer for optimal temperature retention. Works on standard wine bottles. This sleee does not have a bottom so do not try to move the bottle of wine by grabbing the sleeve only.
Vacu Vin Rapid Ice Wine and Champagne Cooler Set
This set contains two freezer sleeves that wrap around your wine and champagne bottles. Store them in the freezer until ready to use. It claims to chill your wine in 5 minutes but I would strongly suggest starting with a chilled bottle first. The likelihood of this cooling a bottle that quickly is unrealistic.
Tirrinia Single wine tote bag
A tote bag designed to hold a single bottle of wine while heading to your picnic or barbecue. Padded and with thermal insulation to keep your chilled wine cool while you travel. An elegant design, with multiple other options, makes for a great gift as well.
Single Bottle Electric Wine Chillers
You will find many of these on the market but this is the only one that has a loyal fan base. A semi compact design that will fit on your kitchen cabinet and can easily be put away when not in use. This is a great option for when you need to cool your favorite wine quickly. Many of the others are produced by low-end manufacturers trying to get into the market with cheaper versions.
Cooper cooler rapid wine chiller
If you are looking for a method to quickly chill a bottle of wine this electric wine chiller is your best option. It is not only my top pick, it is my only pick. The unit fits conveniently on your kitchen counter and will have your wine chilled in 6 minutes. Add a few extra minutes to it and you will get an extra chill that is perfect for drinking ice cold wine. Simply add cold water and ice to the unit and it’s ready to go. The cooper cooler has a loyal fan base that swears by this rapid chiller. One drawback is that it will not fit champagne bottles or white wines that use wide bottom champagne bottles.
Chill Rods
While not technically a chiller, a chiller rod will help keep your wine cooler than if it was just sitting out at room temperature. If you like your wines cold then combine a chiller rod with a sleeve or while keeping it stored in a marble ice bucket.
Wine chiller set + foil cutter
Vinenco 3 in 1 wine chiller with drip-free pourer and aerator function keeps chilled wines at optimum drinking temperature for a short time. The stainless steel rod is kept frozen in your freezer and then screws onto the aerator pourer top which sits inside the top of your wine.
Wine chiller 3-1
Don’t need all the fluff from the set above? This is just the stainless steel rod with a pourer top. The pourer does act as an aerator and a filter. Will keep a chilled bottle of wine cool for up to an hour.
Yeti Wine Tumbler
To make sure your wine stays cold in your glass and not just in the bottle. Choose from 7 different colors or get it customized and always know what glass is yours.
Wine Refrigerators
Are you becoming a serious wine collector and need storage for your wine collection? Or do you host parties for wine drinkers frequently and need to keep a lot of wine at its ideal temperature? Look into the Wine Enthusiast dual zone wine refrigerator. The glass door refrigerators showcase your collection while maintaining the right temperature for each style of wine. If you plan to age your big cabernets then a wine refrigerator is a must-have. Aging requires a consistent and perfect temperature range during the duration of its long-term aging, which can be as long as 10 years for most people. The team at Wine Enthusiast has many options depending on the bottle capacity you are looking for and can even help you with a built-in wine cellar if you have the space.
Looking for the right wine cooler for you? Ask yourself how much you plan to have on hand and how frequently you plan to purchase wine. You also need to identify a space where you want to have your refrigerator. Are you renovating and want an under counter built-in wine cooler? A freestanding design is common in existing rooms that you can build your home bar around. Whatever you can think of, a reversible door, dual zones, they can help you out. Protect your red wine and invest in a wine fridge.
Conclusion
There are many options out there. Some are good, a lot are pretty poor at delivering on their promise of being the best single bottle wine chiller. The options I have listed are what I would, and do use at home. I would love to say I have a large capacity wine fridge to keep my white and red wines at different temperatures but I don’t. Maybe one day. Till then I’m using a single bottle wine chiller or wine sleeve… that and my regular fridge. So when shopping for you or your friends for gifts keep in mind that each one has its one strength. What your ideal choice is will be different than for me or the person next to you.
