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 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.