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Wine coolers are always cheap, and it can be difficult to find a good wine cooler that’s also good for your wallet. That’s why we’ve found the best wine coolers for the best prices!
Here are the best wine coolers that you can get for under $300, sorted by capacity:
- Ivation Premium Stainless Steel 8 Bottle Thermoelectric Wine Cooler/Chiller
- Koldfront TWR187ESS 18-Bottle Standing Dual Zone Wine Cooler
- Ivation 18-Bottle Dual Zone Thermoelectric Wine Cooler/Chiller
- Whynter 20-Bottle Thermoelectric Wine Cooler
- Insignia 29-Bottle Stainless Steel Wine Cooler
- Danby 36-Bottle Black/Platinum Wine Chiller
Each of these wine coolers offers something unique to the table, and they’re all under $300. No matter what you’re looking for, you’ll find the perfect wine cooler for any and every kind of wine you need on this list.
TIP: If you want to check out the best refrigerator for wine storage, I recommend trying out the Avation (18 bottles) compressor refrigerator with Wi-fi smart app control cooling system. You can find this refrigerator by clicking here (Amazon link).
6 Best Wine Coolers for Under $300
Now that you’ve thought about everything above, it’s time to talk about which wine cooler is perfect for you! Each wine cooler is linked to the best place to buy it, the price of the wine cooler, and some ideas about deciding if the specific wine cooler is best suited for you.
Note: These wine coolers are sorted by their capacity, not by greatness. The sixth item on this list will be just as great as the first item!
1. Ivation Premium Stainless Steel 8 Bottle Thermoelectric Wine Cooler/Chiller
Ivation 12 Bottle Compressor Wine Cooler Refrigerator
Where to Buy: Amazon (Click here to read customer reviews & see current pricing)
If you’re looking for a small, personal wine cooler, then this is your best bet. This specific model can hold eight bottles of wine at one temperature, and you can store it either on a counter or shelf or by itself on the floor.
The design is gorgeous; with a stainless steel exterior and oak wood shelves on the inside, this beautiful wine cooler will match most homes easily.
The lighting on the inside is also minimal, so you won’t have to worry about any bright lights where you put this. This adds a nice, classic feel to your wine cooler!
There’s also a sleek LCD display that constantly shows you the temperature inside the wine cooler, and you can adjust the temperature and the lights from the outside of the cooler. You can control how flashy this specific wine cooler is by adjusting the light coming from the inside.
The thermopane door is designed to keep the temperature and humidity inside of the wine cooler consistent and correct, which also helps keep the corks on your bottle from drying out.
That means that your wine is completely protected from the air inside the cooler; while every wine cooler does this, the thermopane door is especially effective.
The door is also shadowed and will protect against UV rays that could be coming in from a nearby window; this does help your wine, especially if you’re in the process of aging a bottle or two.
This specific wine cooler also lacks a compressor, which means that the wine cooler won’t vibrate—this means less noise overall coming from your wine cooler. Your wine won’t be disturbed, and you won’t either!
Here are some good ways to know that this is the wine cooler for you:
- You’re looking for a personal wine cooler.
- You don’t plan on aging multiple bottles of wine at once.
- You like drinking one kind of wine, whether white or red.
2. Koldfront 18-Bottle Standing Dual Zone Wine Cooler
Where to Buy: Amazon (Click here to read customer reviews & see current pricing)
This wine cooler will hold eighteen bottles, more than double the last one. Because of its size, you’ll probably want to keep this wine cooler sitting on the floor or in another area; it’s not going to fit very nicely on a kitchen counter.
The dual-zone component of this wine cooler means that you can store both white and red wine at the perfect serving temperature! You’ll be able to enjoy any wine you’d like, and the same goes for your guests.
The stainless steel design is popular, and the wooden shelves are beautiful. The shelves of this specific model are straight and quite a bit close to each other.
If you buy larger bottles of wine, or the wine you love comes in bigger bottles, then you’ll probably need to remove a shelf or two, which will decrease the capacity by three bottles for every shelf you take out.
On the front of the tempered glass door, you’ll find an LED display that shows the temperatures of both zones and lets you control them.
The display itself is very modern, with simple numbers and minimal square buttons—not only that, but the display itself is in the very middle of the wine cooler.
Since you’re storing so many wines, this wine cooler makes it simple to find the wine you’re looking for with sliding shelves; this will make it much easier to tell guests what options of wine you have.
Here are some good ways to know that this is the wine cooler for you:
- You don’t plan on aging wine at all.
- You go through bottles of wine quickly—either your family drinks often or you entertain guests often.
- You enjoy a modern home design.
3. Ivation 18-Bottle Dual Zone Thermoelectric Wine Cooler/Chiller
Where to Buy: Amazon (Click here to read customer reviews & see current pricing)
This wine cooler, like the one before it, can hold eighteen bottles of wine, making it the perfect option for anyone who likes to entertain people. It’s fairly large, so you’ll have to sit this one on the floor somewhere.
This isn’t a stainless steel wine cooler; instead, the sleek, black design is much more modern and will match even more households. Not only that, but the thermopane door is shadowed instead of being clear like glass.
While this helps your wine stay away from the outside air and protect it from the sun’s rays, it also gives a nice appearance if you’re trying to tuck away your wine cooler. Similar to the eight-bottle Ivation wine cooler that’s first on this list, there is no compressor on this wine cooler.
You’ll barely be able to hear this thing run even if you’re standing right beside it. This also helps your wine age better! The fewer disturbances there are for your aging wine, the better your wine will age.
There’s also interior lighting that you can turn on and off, giving your wine cooler a classy atmosphere to it whenever you need it. However, don’t keep it on 24/7 if you plan on aging your wine. Aging wine needs to be in a darker environment to age well.
The dual-zone aspect of this wine cooler gives you the option to store and age both white and red wines easily, and the LED display gives you a nice overview of the temperatures of both zones.
Here are some good ways to know that this is the wine cooler for you:
- You like things to look low profile.
- You want to age the wine.
- You want to age both white and red wine at different times.
4. Whynter 20-Bottle Thermoelectric Wine Cooler
Whynter WC-201TD/WC-201TDa 20 Bottle Freestanding Thermoelectric Wine Cooler
Where to Buy: Amazon (Click here to read customer reviews & see current pricing)
This wine cooler is the perfect option for anyone looking for something that will hide your wine away. The black mirror glass on the door combined with the black exterior almost makes this wine cooler look like a mini-fridge.
Because it holds 20 bottles of wine, you’ll notice that this wine cooler is also the size of a mini-fridge; you’ll need to let it sit somewhere on the floor on its own instead of on a counter.
It’s also quite a bit wider than most wine coolers, so you’ll need to double-check the measurements to ensure that it fits where you’d like to put it before purchasing it.
Keep in mind that this isn’t a dual-zone wine cooler, so you’ll only be able to store one kind of wine at optimal temperatures.
With twenty bottles to store, you probably only want to drink one kind of wine or you’re alright with the fact that you’ll need to set your red wines out to warm up a bit before serving.
However, if you’re looking to age a dozen bottles of wine, this is the perfect way to do it. The doors won’t let any harmful UV rays come through, and the cooler itself is so low profile that you can easily forget that your wine is there.
Here are some good ways to know that this is the wine cooler for you:
- You want a low-profile design.
- You only drink one kind of wine.
- You live by the motto “out of sight, out of mind.”
Bonus: 2 Additional Wine Coolers NOT on Amazon
5. Insignia 29-Bottle Stainless Steel Wine Cooler
Where to Buy: Best Buy
This is one of the biggest wine coolers you’ll find for under $300. With the ability to store 29 bottles of wine, you’ll be able to store as many wine bottles as you’d like, which is perfect to serve guests.
Unfortunately, this specific wine cooler isn’t dual-zone, so you’ll want to either store many bottles of the same wine or prepare your wine before you serve it. Either way works well, but it’s up to you to determine the best way to use this wine cooler.
The stainless steel design and open glass door are stunning, and you’ll be able to keep this in a lounge area without compromising the interior decorating of the room.
The LCD display is a nice touch as well, with a small display that’s sitting on the glass part of the door. Compared to other wine coolers, this is a nice, low-profile way to show the time.
Keep in mind that this isn’t the best wine cooler to age wine in. While it’s large and can hold a lot of wine bottles, the door isn’t the best compared to other wine coolers on this list; you’ll want to get this specific model if you enjoy entertaining guests often or hosting large parties.
Here are some good ways to know that this is the wine cooler for you:
- You go through wine quickly.
- You enjoy hosting large parties and gatherings.
- You want a timeless look that will match any interior design.
6. Danby 36-Bottle Black/Platinum Wine Chiller
Where to Buy: Lowe’s
If you’re trying to store as much wine as possible for under $300, then this is the wine cooler to get. With the ability to hold 36 bottles of wine at one time, you’ll be able to store as much wine as you need.
This isn’t a dual-zone wine cooler, so you’ll need to enjoy or buy one type of wine to get the best use out of it. However, because the door design is opaque, you can age a ton of wine at once.
The interior has an LED light that you can adjust to help you better see the wines on the inside; this is a nice way to be able to see the wines if you’re using this as a way to entertain guests better.
Here are some good ways to know that this is the wine cooler for you:
- You want to entertain guests a lot of the time.
- You want to age a massive amount of one type of wine at once.
- You enjoy nice LED lights for displaying purposes.
TIP: For a complete breakdown of the ideal conditions for long-term wine storage, check out this helpful article. This is vital information to understand better wine storage. If you want to learn how cold a wine refrigerator can get and why it is important for wine storage, check out this article.
A Guide to Buying Wine Coolers
Wine Storage Temperatures and Conditions
Your wine, both white and red, need to be stored at the appropriate temperatures if you want to enjoy them at their best; however, those temperatures vary.
For white wines, you’ll want to store your wine at 45 degrees Fahrenheit to 55 degrees Fahrenheit.
For red wines, you’ll want to store your wine at 55 degrees Fahrenheit to 55 degrees Fahrenheit.
You’ll also want to make sure that the area you’re storing your wine in isn’t too humid or too dry. This isn’t a problem for most people, but you do want to make sure that you’re keeping your storage area between 50 percent and 80 percent humidity.
Bonus Tip: Don’t store your wine standing up. Your wine won’t settle well, and you run the risk of your wine work drying out. This allows air into the wine bottle, and it can oxidize, causing your wine to taste acidic or almost moldy. Read this article to find out more!
Recommendation box: Everything you need to enjoy your wine as much as possible. All recommended products are personally tested and regularly used by experts from this website (Amazon links):
> Ivation Wine Cooler – Energy-efficient wine cooler for 18 bottles with Wi-fi smart app control cooling system.
> Wine Rack – Beautiful, elegant wood rack for up to 7 bottles and the choice of vertical or horizontal storage.
> Durand Wine Opener – Classic vintage wine opener (we like all these classic staff).
> YouYah Iceberg Wine Decanter – The most beautiful and handy wine decanter we personally use.
> Bormioli Rocco Wine Glasses – A set of eight elegant and traditional wine glasses made in Italy.
> Vintorio Wine Aerator – Simple but really useful wine aerator for a reasonable price.
> The Original Vacu Vin Wine Saver – The best wine saver on the market in a package with two vacuum stoppers and two wine servers.
And if you want to become a true connoisseur of wine, we recommend reading the book Wine Folly: The Essential Guide to Wine (Amazon link), where you will find all the information you need about winemaking, wine varieties, flavors, and much more.
Why Are Wine Coolers Better than Things Like Fridges, Wine Cellars, and Even Room Temperature?
Wine coolers and wine cellars are two of the best ways to store your wine. However, unless your home has a built-in wine cellar or you’re ready to spend tens of thousands of dollars to make one, then you’re more likely to spend $300 on a good wine cooler. The wine cooler wins purely because of cost, especially since they’ll both keep your wine in perfect condition.
While many people keep their wine in a kitchen fridge, it’s too cold for wine. The average kitchen fridge runs between 40 and 45 degrees Fahrenheit, and that’s too cold for even the most aromatic white wines.
While you might have heard that “room temperature” is a great way to store your red wine, it’s an outdated technique. Centuries ago, and even in some places around the world today, the average home temperature was between 55 and 65 degrees Fahrenheit.
Houses aren’t that cold today, and you’d probably be layering up if your home was this cold. So while red wine does taste better in this range, it won’t be good to store out on your counter.
TIP: Most wines go bad once you pop the cork within a day or so. But a Coravin Wine Preservation system (available for a great price on Amazon) can extend the life of your opened wine for weeks or even months. It is awesome. You should check it out to see if it fits your lifestyle.
Why Do I Need a Wine Fridge?
If you want to truly enjoy the wine you have, then you must get a wine cooler. Storing your wine on the counter or in your fridge is going to ruin your wine as we’ve already discussed, and you never want to compromise the taste of fine wine.
It’s also important if you’re looking to age your wine. It’s pretty common for people to age a bottle of wine for important events, like a wedding anniversary or the twenty-first birthday of a child. You cannot do this without a wine fridge.
TIP: To learn how to store opened white wine to make it last just a little longer, read this helpful guide. This article is about the 8 effective ways of storing wine without the cork that will work.
TIP: A suitable wine glass is the basis for enjoying well-being while drinking your favorite wine variety. Here are our favorite ones (Amazon link):
- Bormioli Rocco Crystal Wine Glasses: A set of eight elegant and traditional wine glasses made in Italy for a reasonable price.
- Riedel VINUM Wine Glasses: Luxury set of two wine glasses suitable for any occasion. We just love them!
- Schott Zwiesel Tritan Crystal Glasses: If you like unusual alternatives, a set of six stemless glasses made of crystal glass.
Different Kinds of Wine Coolers You Can Get for Under $300
While wine coolers can run you thousands of dollars, you’d be surprised at the variety you can find at the $300 mark.
There are dual-zone wine coolers, which let you store wines at two different temperatures. This is perfect if you enjoy great red wine with your steak dinners and nice, fruity wine with your chicken dinners.
There are also wine coolers that try to minimize the volume of noise they create, which is great for pretty much everyone—no one wants an appliance that makes too much noise.
TIP: Find out why your wine refrigerator is making a noise in this article and the most common reasons, and how to fix them here.
Things to Think About Before Buying a Wine Cooler
Before looking at the wine coolers that are under $300, let’s look at a few different things that impact what wine cooler you want to buy. You’ll probably be surprised to hear some of them. It’s best to think about these things now instead of wasting money on a wine cooler that’s too small for you or being unhappy with what you buy.
1. How much bottle space you’ll need
This might go without saying, but think seriously about how much wine you’d like to store at one time. If you’re keeping your wine in a fridge or pantry at home, you might not be keeping as much as you could if you had more space.
You also might want to keep aging wine once you have a cooler, so think about that as well. Think about if you like entertaining people, and if so, how many at a time would you serve wine to, and how often? That can also play a role in how big of a wine cooler you’ll need.
TIP: Should your wine rack be at an angle? Find out the answer and other interesting facts here. These are the best locations for your wine refrigerator.
2. How much space do you have in your home
Another vital component to buying a wine cooler is deciding where you’re going to put your wine cooler. With a $300 budget, you’ll be able to get most types of wine coolers, so start thinking before buying.
Some wine coolers are meant to be in a pantry or another area that isn’t seen too often; these wine coolers don’t have too many different options when it comes to designs or how they look, but they function well and get the job done at a low cost because you’re not paying for anything cosmetic.
Other wine coolers sit in your kitchen, and you can find these in a variety of styles to match the most popular kitchen appliances. While these are normally smaller, they still work just as great as the larger wine coolers.
With $300, you can even get wine coolers that are tall and meant to sit on the floor on their own. Oftentimes, these are made to look nice and flashy for when you have guests over.
3. What kind of wine do you drink
Many people believe the myth that wine has to be stored at different temperatures, but that’s not exactly true. All wine should be stored at the same temperature, but the difference is how you serve different wines.
White wine is typically served chilled while red wine is served at room temperature or slightly colder. If you want to grab your wine out of the wine cooler, you’ll either need to be drinking white wine or you’ll need a dual-zone wine cooler.
Dual-zone wine coolers have different areas that can stay at different temperatures, meaning you can store your white wine in a colder area than the area for red wine—this is a good solution if you plan on serving guests or just enjoy both kinds of wine.
4. What your wine cooler should look like
Most people want their wine cooler to match the rest of their household appliances, so you’ll need to think about your current home’s color scheme and materials, such as stainless steel or colored wood.
While wine coolers can easily get in the $1,000+ range, you’ll find a ton of options to pick from with a $300 budget. Don’t be afraid to be picky; with all the different wine coolers to choose from, it’s better to wait for the best one compared to settling on one of the first ones you see.
5. Noise levels
Depending on how big your home is or where you plan on storing your wine cooler compared to your living spaces, you’ll want to think about the noise level.
Some wine coolers are pretty loud and can be distracting throughout the day, and it’s not the best option if you’re trying to entertain guests. However, you can find plenty that is meant to be quiet or minimize the noise output.
TIP: Check out this page for a complete list of wine products and accessories I love. You’ll find my recommendations for wine refrigerators, decanters, and aerators and the best place to buy wine online. Click here to see the complete listing.