Wine coolers as a beverage were extremely popular in the United States during the decade of the 1980s but their popularity faded when the US government raised the taxes on wine and made the cost of the beverages prohibitive to maintain their popularity.

Wine coolers as an appliance are better known as wine refrigerators and are used to maintain the temperature of wines. They are popular as both built in and counter top models. Many of the popular models have dual or multi-temperature zones to maintain different variety wines at different temperatures in the same unit.

When considering the purchase of a wine refrigerator a couple of considerations are the venting and the vibration of the unit. Any refrigeration unit works basically the same way. It removes heat from the air in the unit and moves it outside through a vent or by means of coils exposed to outside air. Some units vent out the front and some the back. If you plan on recessing your unit you should probably choose a front venting unit.

Refrigeration units that use compressors generally have higher vibration tendencies than units that use thermoelectric systems. Since many people believe that vibration adversely affects wine, thermoelectric systems should rate careful consideration.

Wine decanters are not only beautiful but functional, as well. There has been little change in the science behind the decanter since the 18th century when glassworkers introduced the stopper. Originally the decanter was designed to allow the sediment to decant or separate from the liquid. Modern wine enthusiasts decant wine for the purpose of aeration, a somewhat controversial and often debated process of allowing the wine to aerate or breathe. It is thought to be more helpful with tannic wines but the perceived softening of the wine could be due to oxidation induced chemical compound alteration rather than from allowing the wine to breathe. Ones school of thought is that the shape of the glass changes the drinker’s perception of the wine thereby changing the taste of the beverage. In fact, many people believe decanting can actually diminish the quality of delicate wines.

I prefer to  argue occum’s razor. Wine simply tastes better if it is served beautifully and experienced as an occasion whether it is totally placebo effect or only partially placebo effect, most people agree that the placebo effect is present. And just the placebo effect you get from the aesthetic value of a stylish decanter far outweighs the insignificant possibility of damage to the wine.

Wine decanters are a valuable source of history. Glass blowing came into being with the Phoenicians about 50 B.C. and over that short period of years the art has progressed quickly with major advances such as lead glass, also called lead crystal and flint glass being made as late as the mid 20th century. Lead glass has increased refractive properties that causes the glass to have more sparkles and appear more brilliant as light passes through it. Glass blowers over the centuries have blown great works of art and wonderfully functional artistic accessories. There are many collectable wine decanters. A recent eBay search yielded ten pages of results ranging from a 1950’s era bargain for under $3. to a pair of French Glass Enamel decanters for under $3500. Riedel Crystal is notable for producing some of the most visually surprising and asthetic models. In 1678 Johann Christian Riedel started trading in glass. Glass became a family tradition that eventually let to the founding of the world famous Austrian company. Riedel offers models ranging from ever popular $300. and up hand blown wine decanters to expertly machine made $30. models. Not all of these wine decanters will go up in value but all of them will be an added and attractive treasure to your home bar, counter top or display case. Magnum decanters hold twice the standard 750 ml so you can serve more guests faster or entertain longer without interruption.

Wine refrigerators will meet the need for storage for the average wine consumer. Budget considerations and low volume storage needs preclude most of us from building a full-blown wine cellar. If you find an especially appealing deal on a wine refrigerator, consider buying two. Store red wines in one and whites in the other. To save space you should consider purchasing either a dual or multi-zone model. Besides consistent temperature control probably the most important consideration when buying a wine refrigerator is vibration. Vibration control is essential to preserving the quality of your wines.