I’m no oenophile. I only drink wine socially but even I understand the practicality of storing wine in a cool location to help preserve taste and allow the wine to effectively mature over time. It turns out the cool corner of my kitchen cabinet isn’t the best option.

Over the holidays, I went to a dinner party at a friend’s house and the first thing that caught my eye when I stepped into her kitchen was the fully stocked free-standing wine cooler softly glowing next to her cupboard. Inside the wine cooler was her carefully stockpiled collection of wines, perfectly chilled for the tasting we would dive into later on in the evening. I was amazed.

Suffice it to say, I’m a convert. My modest collection of Merlot, Riesling and Chardonnay is on full display in my new wine cooler sitting quietly in my kitchen. Before I made my purchase, I did my research. I found that there were multiple options for wine coolers – all sorts of shapes, sizes and functions. The variety of coolers can hold anywhere from 18 to 32 bottles. You have the option to separate your wines from red and white and set the temperature independently for each side. The thermoelectric cooling system that comes standard involves very few moving parts so the wine is protected from any unnecessary vibration that might break down the aroma and taste of your wine. The heavy-duty glass doors on the wine coolers are perfectly insulated and protect your wine collection from harmful UV rays.

With so many functions, I almost felt overwhelmed but I eventually settled on the 21-bottle capacity cooler with independently-controlled cooling zones. It’s the perfect size for my kitchen and wine collection and I couldn’t be more satisfied. If you drink wine in any capacity at home, you need to see the benefit of owning a wine cooler for yourself!