5 Best 6-Bottle Wine Fridges [Essential Picks 2023]
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If you're a wine enthusiast with a small collection of wines, or if you need something compact to keep some bottles closer to hand, a 6-bottle wine cooler could be really useful.
Down below, we recommend our favorite 6 bottle countertop wine coolers and outline the key features you need to have in a good small wine fridge.
Benefits of a Wine Cooler
A wine cooler provides protection for your wine if keeping long-term and maintains it at the desired temperature for serving for more short-term use.
Traditional refrigerators just aren't practical for long-term storage and don't work in the right temperature range for short-term storage.
Each type of wine must be kept at a specific temperature, typically between 44 and 65°F, in order to preserve its organoleptic characteristics.
However, the temperature should not be your only concern. Almost as important as the temperature is the level of humidity. This should be around 65-80%.
For these reasons, you can already understand that a refrigerator or cabinet cannot reproduce the ideal conditions needed to store wine.
The temperature inside a refrigerator is typically below 40°F, while in your home the temperature might not be constant at all times.
The humidity level most likely will not meet the desired parameters either.
Choosing a 6-Bottle Wine Cooler
When you decide to buy a 6 bottle wine cooler, the first thing you will discover is that almost all units use a thermoelectric cooling system.
Thermoelectric technology has a couple of great benefits when compared to the alternative compressor based cooling but also a couple of drawbacks.
These smaller wine coolers use thermoelectric technology because of their size. They simply don't require the power of a compressor. Not using a compressor also enables them to remain more compact.
The huge benefit of thermoelectric cooling is the lack of noise and vibrations when compared to compressor based cooling. Obviously noise is bad in any situation but vibrations can be particularly troublesome for wine because they disturb the sediment.
The drawback of thermoelectric cooling is that it's not as powerful as using compressors. This means its performance can sometimes be affected by the ambient temperature.
The other thing to note with these small wine fridges is that they are almost all 'countertop' models.
This means they need a bit of clearance at the back and the sides for air venting. Two inches at the sides and 4 inches at the back is around what you'll need.
The alternative to this is a 'built-in' wine cooler. This is designed for zero clearances and is vented at the front. We've included one in our recommendations below. You can see it here.
Key Features to Look For
The range of features available on these smaller 6-bottle wine fridges isn't as impressive as the bigger 18-bottle plus wine fridges due to their compact nature.
Here's a brief run-through of what you can expect to find.
Our Recommended 6-Bottle Wine Fridges
In our opinion, these are the 6-bottle countertop wine coolers worth knowing about in 2023.
Our Top Pick
BLACK+DECKER 6 Bottle Wine Fridge
This BLACK+DECKER wine refrigerator is our pick of the bunch as it manages to pack all the essential features into a great looking package that doesn't cost the earth.
At just 9.7" x 19.8" x 14.9" it doesn't take up much space on the countertop. The two full length chrome shelves inside are removable and can happily hold 6 bottles of your favorite wine.
The temperature is controlled incrementally from 46° to 65° Fahrenheit using two buttons above the door. The temperature is displayed here on a backlit LCD panel. Two further buttons allow you to toggle the interior light and switch between Celsius and Fahrenheit.
The triple paned door helps regulate the interior temperature, keeping the cool air inside and the warm air out. Double paned glass is the standard with wine fridges of this size and only a select few come with three panes for the absolute best in insulation. A mirrored door version is available too, which filters harmful UV light.
If you plan on keeping your wine fridge in a place where sunlight might be an issue then I'd recommend going with this version. However, it's best to try and position your wine fridge in a darker place to help with energy efficiency.
This compact wine fridge is also one of the most shallow depth options available.
Pros
Cons
Best Value
Koolatron 6-Bottle Wine Cellar
A really popular 6 bottle wine cooler is this beauty from Koolatron. Equipped with a soft internal light and two removable chrome storage shelves. It looks great in light or dark.
Ideal for white or red wines, it has a wide temperature range that's customizable between 46 and 66 degrees Fahrenheit.
The glass is double-paned and able to filter out UV light, so your wine is well protected on the countertop.
Using the thermoelectric technology, this unit is very quiet and has a very low level of vibrations. Ideal conditions for keeping your wine for short or long-term.
Pros
Cons
Most Compact
EdgeStar 6-Inch Cooler
Ok, you caught us! We are cheating a bit here by including a 7-bottle model but the six bottle models are all the same shape. If you need something narrow then this measures just 5.81" across.
It's designed to fit snuggly into a tight space and it doesn't actually need any clearance space at the sides or at the back because the air vents are on the front.
However, it's not just the compact design that makes this a standout wine refrigerator. The stainless steel body and tinted, UV-resistant glass make sure it looks the part too. It's beautifully illuminated with a blue LED light at night too.
Under the hood, it can keep wine cool within the range of 40-65°F. The controls are actually on the inside of the door, with the digital display viewed through the glass.
It's not ideal needing to open the door to reach the controls but it's just the price that needs to be paid when making something so compact. Another, drawback of a wine fridge that's just 6 inches wide is the inability to rearrange the interior shelves.
Unlike most of the smaller sized wine fridges, the door is actually reversible. This is a really useful feature that opens up more possibilities when it comes to installation.
It should be noted that this model is designed to be built into your kitchen cabinetry. Therefore, the stainless steel finish is only on the front of the unit as the sides are meant to be covered.
Pros
Cons
Wine Enthusiast 6-Bottle Countertop
Measuring just 14 7/8” x 9 3/4” x 19 7/8” this is another great little 6-bottle wine cooler.
Designed to comfortably store 6 Bordeaux wine bottles, it's ideal for small wine collections.
With an LED temperature display and interior light it's easy to use even when it's dark.
With a one-year warranty and US based customer support it could be a great choice for a first time wine fridge purchase.
Pros
Cons
Haier 6-Bottle Wine Cellar
This 6-bottle thermoelectric wine cooler from Haier is another great option for your countertop.
With double paned glass and soft blue LED lighting it's well equipped to keep you wine cool and look good at the same time.
The temperature range of 46-66 degrees Fahrenheit is easily controlled using two buttons and viewed on the backlit LED display.
Pros
Cons
Conclusion
We recommended five models to offer some choice. But, in reality there are three which we believe are better than the rest.
If you want the best all round package we recommend the BLACK+DECKER model.
It's got all the essential features with an elegant design and it's competitively priced.
If 'bang for your buck' is most important to you then we recommend the Koolatron model.
It's really well priced for a wine fridge and makes everything else on the market seem expensive.
If you need something for a tight space then the EdgeStar model is as compact as they come at just 6 inches wide.
Most Compact
EdgeStar 6-Inch
Our Top Pick
BLACK+DECKER 6-Bottle
Best Value
Koolatron 6-Bottle
If you've got a six bottle cooler that you just love then we'd love to hear about it! Leave a comment down below and we'll try and get our hands on it next.
