When it comes to beverage and wine storage solutions, wine fridges and beverage fridges both have their place. However, there are significant differences between the two in terms of design concepts and functionality. Today, we’re going to compare the main differences between the two in detail to help you understand them better.
Design Purpose
The Wine Fridge is designed for wine lovers, not only for storage but also to showcase the elegance and glamour of wine. It aims to provide the ultimate protection for wine quality and flavour, ensuring that each bottle of wine is stored in the optimal environment to present the best taste.
The beverage fridge, on the other hand, is designed to meet the demand for a wide range of cold beverages in everyday life, from fruit juices and soft drinks to beer and bottled water. It was originally designed to cool quickly to preserve the cold taste of drinks and provide people with cool enjoyment.
Temperature Requirement
Wine refrigerator has a wide range of temperature regulations to accurately set and maintain the optimum storage temperature (5°C to 20°C) required for wine. This is because wine refrigerators should be kept at temperatures above 5°C (41°F) to prevent the water in the wine from freezing, which can cause damage to the quality of the wine. On the other hand, beverage fridges are relatively simple to control and are generally set at a lower temperature range to meet the need for rapid cooling of beverages.
Humidity Requirements
Wine refrigerators are equipped with a humidity control function to keep the humidity of the wine storage environment within the ideal range (usually 60% to 70%) to prevent cork drying and wine deterioration.
Beverage refrigerators do not usually need to be equipped with humidity control features, and the humidity requirements for beverages are relatively low.
UV Protection Function
The design of a wine fridge’s glass door plays a crucial role in protecting the wine. To ensure that wine is protected from UV rays during storage, the glass doors of wine coolers are usually made of special ultraviolet (UV) resistant materials. The effects of UV rays on wine are well known, causing it to fade in colour, deteriorate in flavour and accelerate the ageing process.
These UV-resistant materials are usually specially treated glass or films that effectively absorb or reflect UV rays, minimizing their potential damage to wine. By adopting this design, wine coolers not only provide an ideal environment for wine storage but also ensure that the quality and taste of the wine remain excellent even after prolonged storage.
In contrast, beverage refrigerators are not usually designed with UV protection. This is due to the relatively low sensitivity of beverages to UV rays and the fact that the primary function of a beverage refrigerator is to quickly cool and store a variety of beverages, rather than for long-term storage and protection. As a result, UV protection is not usually a factor specifically considered in the design and manufacture of beverage coolers.
Shelving Design
Wine fridges are designed with great attention to detail, especially in their choice of shelves. Many wine fridges use natural beech wood as the material for the shelves. Natural beech wood is a high-quality wood with excellent hygroscopic and moisturising properties. The moist condition of the cork is crucial during the storage of wine. A dry environment may cause the cork to shrink, which in turn allows air to enter the bottle and oxidise with the wine, affecting the quality and taste of the wine. Natural beech wood shelves maintain a certain level of humidity, which helps to keep the cork moist, thus effectively preventing oxidisation of the wine.
Beverage fridge shelves are relatively simple to design. They usually just need to have removable and adjustable features to accommodate beverages of different sizes and shapes. This design makes it easy for users to adjust the storage space according to their needs.
In light of these comparisons, if you are a wine collector or enthusiast, or if you need to store your wine for long-term ageing, you can choose a professional compressor wine cooler.
If you just want to store and cool a variety of beverages, then choose a compressor beverage cabinet. If you have a commercial business expansion for both, you may want to check out Sunnai Manufacturer for professional compressor wine cooler and beverage cooler solutions.
