Thermoelectric Wine Cooler
One of the most important considerations in wine storage is that the wine is kept at the correct temperature. A temperature of between 55 and 65 degrees will allow the wine to age to perfection and prevent it from spoiling. Most wine refrigeration systems accomplish this with the use of a vapor compression system.
Like a regular refrigerator compressor, a wine cooler compressor sends a refrigerant though a compressor. In the compressor, the refrigerant's molecules become pushed together, forming a superheated vapor. The superheated vapor travels through the condenser, which allows the room's air to cool the vapor slightly. The vapor then undergoes flash evaporation, turning it cold. As it continues through the coils of the evaporator unit, a fan blows air across the coils, vaporizing the refrigerant and keeping the air cold. The cold air is returned to the refrigerator, where it maintains the correct temperature.
As you can see, this kind of compression system, though extremely effective and widely used, is not very efficient. Cooling the air takes a sequence of energy-sucking steps. For household refrigerator-freezers that need to be extremely cold, this type of system is really the only option. However, for some wine cellars, there is another choice.
A thermoelectric wine cooler uses what is known as the Peltier effect to provide cooling. A thermoelectric heat pump uses electrical energy to create a surface with a temperature gradient (i.e. one side is cold and one side hot) and then continually pushes heat away from the cold side. Thermoelectric coolers are not as effective as vapor compression systems, but they are much more energy-efficient, and thus, less expensive to maintain. Unlike a regular refrigerator, they also provide no vibration. Since keeping wine vibration-free to leave the sediment undisturbed and prevent deterioration is one of the more important aspects of wine storage, a vibration-free storage place can be of great value.
Thermoelectric wine coolers don't work well in areas warmer than about 80°, and cannot cool to temperatures much below 50°. But if you keep your wine collection indoors, a thermoelectric wine cooler might be a great choice, as it can provide a vibration-free, temperature-controlled environment in which your wine can age to perfection.
