In this article, we’re going to be talking about the top 5 best wine cellar cooling units.
It’s important to note, this guide will cover units that are ideal up to 650 cubic feet.
If you’re looking for anything over this, you can check out our other articles below:
Best Wine Cellar Cooling Units: Covers up to 2000 cubic feet
For those that wish to skip directly to our top recommendations, click here to skip to the section.
Table of Contents
✅What is a Small Wine Cellar Cooling System
It’s simply a piece of equipment that is installed within a wine cellar, and helps bring the overall temperature down, to ensure that wine is stored at the adequate temperature.
Wine Cellars are usually used by wine collectors, connoisseurs, sommeliers, and those who require the storage of their wine collection.
The purpose of a wine cellar is most notably for the long-term conservation of expensive and rare wines. And because of this, it’s important that the cellar is maintained at a cool temperature, to prevent these wines from being damaged by heat, which can taint the overall flavor and even compromise the seals of the bottles, leading to oxidization.
🍾Are they available in different sizes
Yes, wine cellar cooling units are available in different physical sizes, depending on the physical requirements for your installation space. Additionally, they are also available to cater for different sized cellars, with some being able to cool cellars from 250+ cubic feet, all the way through to 1500+ cubic feet, which we cover in this article.
🥂Top Considerations before you buy a Small-Sized Wine Cellar Refrigeration Unit
There are a number of considerations that you will need to think about regarding purchasing a small wine cellar refrigeration unit, these include:
Physical Room Size
– How to get the most suitable wine cellar cooling system for my space?
As previously mentioned, you’ll need to consider the size of both the space to which you are able to fit the wine cellar cooling unit within your wall, as well as the physical size (in cubic feet) of the cellar. Once you’ve figured out these two aspects, you can then move onto the next set of considerations.
– How to install a wine cellar cooling unit?
There are plenty of online guides showing the steps to installing a wine cellar refrigeration unit.
However, all of these wine cellar coolers are designed so that they can easily be installed by any properly equipped and qualified air conditioning or refrigeration service technician.
Thermal Load
Thermal load, or heat load as it’s alternatively referred to, considers the heating and cooling that the system does internally. The ability for the wine cellar cooling unit to function properly can be affected by the cellar’s physical size, temperature fluctuations, the R-value of space, which in this case relates to the thermal conductivity of your home’s ceilings, walls, and the floor.
Additionally, the thermal load can also be affected by heating and cooling systems which are placed externally to the cellar, i.e within other rooms of the house.
We recommend getting in touch with a wine cellar expert before designing a wine cellar.
Type
There are different types of wine cellar refrigeration systems available, these include:
- A split system small wine cellar cooling system
- A through-wall small wine cellar cooling system
- A self-contained small wine cellar cooling system
- A ducted small wine cellar cooling system
- A ductless small wine cellar cooling system
Warranty & Returns Policy
With the fact that wine cellar cooling units are not exactly cheap pieces of equipment, it’s important that you consider the warranty and returns policy before making a purchase.
Most of the wine cellar cooling systems that we’ve featured below come with at least a 2-year manufacturer’s warranty on parts and labor, which means that you can rest assured of your purchase.
Cost
Similarly to any purchase, you’ll have a specific amount or budget that you’ll be willing to pay. Keeping this in mind whilst looking at the range of wine cellar refrigeration units will really make your purchasing decision more straightforward.
Customer Review Ratings
Most people realize that companies are biased towards trying to sell their own products. However, when purchasing products from marketplaces such as Amazon, you have full access to all of the reviews left by customers who’ve purchased and have experience using a particular product.
This information is invaluable and really gives an insight into the good, the bad, and the ugly.
🍾Where can I purchase a small wine cellar refrigeration system?
As we briefly mentioned above, we recommend purchasing your wine cellar cooling system from Amazon, as it provides information on customer reviews and Amazon has great customer support, if you ever need to get in contact with them.
🥂Show me the best small wine cellar cooling units
We’ve done hours of research to find only the best small-sized wine cellar cooling systems, and we’ve arranged them in order of the cubic size that each cooler can deal with, from smallest to largest.
🍾 Small Wine Cellar Cooling Systems – Top 5
- Breezaire WKL-2200 – $ – Up to 265 cubic feet
- CellarCool CX2200 – $ – Up to 265 cubic feet
- WhisperKool SC-2000i – $$ – Up to 300 cubic feet
- WhisperKool Slimline 2500 – $$ – Up to 350 cubic feet
- WhisperKool SC 3000i – $$ – Up to 650 cubic feet [Small Wine Cellar Cooler Recommendation]
Breezaire WKL-2200 – $ – Up to 265 cubic feet
Technical Specs
- Dimensions: 16.4L” x 14.2W” x 13.2H”
- Weight: 57 lbs.
- Temperature range: 25°F from ambient temperature in the room
- Package includes: 1 x Breezaire WKL-2200
- Warranty: 5-year limited warranty (parts and labor) [Referenced from owners manual]
General Specs
- Suitable for cellars that are up to 265 cubic feet
- Split system wine cellar cooling unit
- LED display with Adjustable thermostat
- Designed for easy installation, by anyone properly equipped, including a handyman, qualified air conditioning or refrigeration service technician.
Pros
- US-Built, Hand-assembled by skilled craftsmen
- Very good customer feedback, providing 4* reviews
Cons
- Limited to 265 cubic feet
- Quite an old design, considering it has been sold since 2011
Verdict
The WKL 2200 is one of the smallest wine cellar cooling units that we’ve included, capable of reducing the overall ambient temperature by around 25 degrees.
The unit is assembled in the USA and is engineered to be vibration-free. Customer reviews also indicate that the unit is moderately quiet.
It comes with a fantastic 5-year manufacturer’s warranty on all parts, and is ideal for someone who is looking for a wine cellar cooling system which is designed to cool an area of around 265 cubic feet (maximum).
Read more about the product reviews here.
CellarCool CX2200 – $ – Up to 265 cubic feet
Technical Specs
- Dimensions: 16.38L” x 14.25W” x 13.25H”
- Weight: 59.6 lbs.
- Temperature range: 30°F from ambient temperature in the room
- Package includes: 1 x CellarCool CX2200, 2 x Accessory kits
- Warranty: 2-year limited warranty (parts and labor) and 5-years warranty for compressor [Referenced from owners manual]
General Specs
- Suitable for cellars that are up to 265 cubic feet
- Through the wall installation
- Digital display thermostat
- Designed for easy installation, by anyone properly equipped, including a handyman, qualified air conditioning or refrigeration service technician.
Pros
- An extremely popular unit, with solid customer feedback
- Includes DIY installation guide
- Cheaper than other units
Cons
- Limited to 265 cubic feet
Verdict
The CX2200 by CellarCool is a through the wall small wine cellar cooling unit, suitable for cooling up to 30 degrees from the ambient/natural room temperature.
The unit is capable of handling the cooling of wine cellars which are up to 265 cubic feet in measurement.
Additionally, it comes with a 2-year manufacturers warranty covering parts & labor, but it has a 5-year warranty for the compressor.
Read more about the product reviews here.
WhisperKool SC-2000i – $$ – Up to 300 cubic feet
Technical Specs
- Dimensions: 17.5″L x 14.25″W x 15.75″H
- Weight: 61.4 lbs.
- Temperature range: 55°F- 85°F
- Package includes: 1 x WhisperKool SC-2000i, 2 x Accessory kits
- Warranty: 2-year limited warranty (parts and labor) 5-year limited warranty for compressor [Referenced from owners manual]
General Specs
- Suitable for cellars that are up to 300 cubic feet
- Used for simple, through-wall installation
- Digital thermostat is located at the front of unit
- Single piece mounting bracket
- Designed for easy installation, by anyone properly equipped, including a handyman, qualified air conditioning or refrigeration service technician.
Pros
- Great customer feedback, providing 5* reviews
Cons
- Limited to 300 cubic feet
- A little pricey considering the number of cubic feet it can handle
Verdict
The SC 2000i is a highly reliable small sized wine cellar cooling system, manufactured by the reputable provider WhisperKool. Similarly to all of the SC Series, it can be installed by anyone, including your local handyman, as it doesn’t require a HVAC-R technician to install it.
It comes with a solid warranty program, with 2-year parts and labor coverage, and a 5-year warranty for the compressor.
The unit is designed for easy, through-the-wall installation, making it a good choice for those who are looking at purchasing a through-the-wall wine cellar cooling unit.
Additionally, it requires drainage via the drain tube, which is included with the unit.
Read more about the product reviews here.
WhisperKool Slimline 2500 – $$ – Up to 350 cubic feet
Technical Specs
- Dimensions: 19″L x 22″W x 10.25″H
- Weight: 64 lbs.
- Temperature range: 30°F temperature differential (from nominal room temperature)
- Package includes: 1 x WhisperKool Slimline 2500, 1 x Mounting brackets, 2 x Accessory kit
- Warranty: 2-year limited warranty (parts and labor) 5-year limited warranty for compressor [Referenced from owners manual]
General Specs
- Suitable for cellars that are up to 350 cubic feet
- Through-the-wall installation (above a doorway)
- Advanced digital controller (thermostat)
- Liquid temperature measuring bottle probe
- Outside venting is not recommended
Pros
- Great customer feedback, providing 4* reviews
- Installation above the doorway means that your cellar has more space to store wine
Cons
- Recommended to be installed above a doorway, if you have enough space above your doorway, certain houses may not, but be aware that this cooler is 10.25″H.
Video Demonstration
Verdict
The Slimline 2500 by WhisperKool is another one of their highly recommended products.
Similarly to all of the WhisperKool products, it comes with a 2-year parts and labor warranty, and a 5-year warranty for the internal compressor.
The unit is designed to be installed above your doorway, as this is often unused space, and hence it gives the wine collector/connoisseur the maximum amount of storage space, within their wine cellar to store wine.
As some of the reviews indicate, this is a quiet wine cellar cooler, with one particular review stating that he measured the sound decibels to be around 59db outside the compressor-side of the unit.
It comes with a drain hose, although reviews suggest that this is not required.
Read more about the product reviews here.
WhisperKool SC 3000i – $$ – Up to 650 cubic feet
Small Wine Cellar Cooler Recommendation
Technical Specs
- Dimensions: 7.5″L x 14.25″W x 15.75″H
- Weight: 64 lbs.
- Temperature range: 30°F temperature differential (from nominal room temperature)
- Package includes: 1 x WhisperKool SC 3000i, 1 x Mounting brackets, 2 x Accessory kit
- Warranty: 2-year limited warranty (parts and labor) 5-year limited warranty for compressor [Referenced from owners manual]
General Specs
- Suitable for cellars that are up to 650 cubic feet
- Through-the-wall installation
- Advanced digital controller (thermostat)
- Liquid temperature measuring bottle probe
- Single-piece mounting bracket
- Front or rear power switch
- Outside venting is not recommended
Pros
- Great customer feedback, providing 4* reviews
- Installation above the doorway means that your cellar has more space to store wine
- Front or rear power switch, depending on your wine cellar’s design
Cons
- We can’t see many cons of this unit
Video Demonstration
Verdict
The SC 3000i by WhisperKool is designed for simple, through-wall installation, and similarly to all of the SC Series, it can be installed by anyone, including your local handyman, as it doesn’t require a HVAC-R technician to install it.
The SC 3000i is capable of providing cooling for a wine cellar with an area of around 650 cu feet, making it step up from the previous wine cellar coolers which we’ve been discussing.
As always with WhisperKool products, it comes with a two-year warranty for parts and labor, and a five-year warranty for the internal compressor.
Reviews suggest that a lot of buyers have owned the previous version (XLT models), and thus, WhisperKool must have done a good job to get repeat business.
Read more about the product reviews here.
Conclusion
All in all, there are a lot of options available as far as which wine cellar cooler to choose for your wine cellar, and it’s important to keep in mind that using an oversized unit is much better than using an undersized unit.
So, for example, if you have a 300 cubic foot wine cellar, then picking one that can handle 400+ cubic feet is definitely a viable solution.
With that being said, we recommend the following:
- Smaller sized wine cellar coolers suited for household usage: WhisperKool SC 3000i – $$ – Up to 650 cubic feet [Small Wine Cellar Cooler Recommendation]
We certainly hope that you’ve found this buyer’s guide, on the top-rated wine cooling units, very useful!
With that being said, feel free to contact us via our contact page if you have any questions.
