DIY smart home: Why I bought a wine fridge — and you should, too

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If at that place'southward anything my pandemic lifestyle has taught me, it's the value of fine vino. While many were nursing a sourdough starter, my family unit and I took to tasting (erm, chugging) squished fermented grapes as a pastime. Then when planning out our DIY smart abode renovation, nosotros decided the project wouldn't exist consummate without a vino fridge.

DIY smart domicile

This story is function of an ongoing DIY smart home serial. Be certain to check out the latest installments to follow the renovation procedure from start to stop.

Although we skipped on smart appliances, a wine refrigerator offers special benefits to any vino drinker, from the casual sipper to the total oenophile. It's not 'smart' in the sense that it has Alexa built in, but with features similar customizable temperature zones, LED lightning, kid locks, vibration command and more, a wine fridge is a smart investment.

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And when used in conjunction with the best Alexa skills like The Vino Enthusiast or Vino Pairing, you could detect yourself with a rather intelligent setup for enjoying a bottle of vino. At least that'southward what I'm going for.

When I saw an open up-box, nether-counter Marvel Beverage Center model on clearance at P.C. Richard & Son for $one,000 I didn't hesitate to bring it dwelling house. It met our 15-inch cabinet size requirement for flush installation, and its iii shelves offered all the wine storage my family unit could possibly need.

But there are several first-class vino fridges out there for anyone's upkeep and size preferences, including standalone ones that don't require domicile renovation. Here'southward why you should become i, plus some of the all-time wine fridge options you can buy now, if you're convinced.

Benefits of a wine refrigerator vs. regular fridge

Unlike any of the best refrigerators, which should be beneath l degrees for safe nutrient storage, a wine fridge creates the most ideal aging weather. Wine matures best betwixt 50 degrees and 59 degrees Fahrenheit, with a constant temperature of 55.4 degrees being ideal, according to Decanter'southward wine storage guide.

A standard fridge is subject to sporadic temperature changes since it's opened and closed all day, also. A wine refrigerator should stay close most of the time, preserving the potential of full flavor development. And since there's a different compressor in a wine fridge than in a regular fridge, the bottle's sediment isn't disturbed as much equally information technology would exist in our new xxx-inch, french-door Whirlpool unit of measurement.

You can too store certain foods in a wine fridge — call up items you'd want to see on a charcuterie board, like cheese and fruit. Since we tossed our yellowing, 12-year-old pinnacle freezer refrigerator, having our fancy schmancy wine fridge has helped us keep snacks handy while a majority of our kitchen is demolished. After a long day of corking drywall, some aged cheddar and Cabernet Sauvignon hit the spot.

Find the best wine fridge for you

Like about appliances, the best vino fridges come in all shapes, sizes and prices. I wound up buying a half-off clearance model in-store, just I did plenty of online research ahead of time to discover the right options for my DIY smart abode, and for my wine-drinking needs. Here are a few of the top choices I institute for less than $500:

If you're not a wine fan, then cheque out our hands-on, or should that be lips-on, time with the new Drinkworks Domicile Bar Classic.

For more product recommendations, check out my guides to the best smart home devices and all-time cheap smart home devices. Be sure to come dorsum next week for some other DIY smart domicile update. We're getting to the thick of the renovation, so you won't want to miss the upcoming installments.

Have smart home (or vino fridge) questions? Electronic mail me at kate.kozuch@futurenet.com or leave a comment below with anything you'd similar to run into me embrace in the connected infinite.

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Kate Kozuch is a senior author at Tom's Guide covering wearables, TVs and everything smart-dwelling related. When she'southward non in cyborg mode, you can notice her on an exercise bicycle or channeling her inner celebrity chef. She and her robot ground forces will dominion the world one twenty-four hours, but until then, attain her at kate.kozuch@futurenet.com.