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This article was co-authored by Murphy Perng. Murphy Perng is a Wine Consultant and the Founder and Host of Matter of Wine, a business that produces educational wine events, including team-building experiences, networking events, and private parties. Based in Los Angeles, California, Murphy has served as a Wine Educator for clients such as Google, Buzzfeed, Tiktok, Snapchat, and Equinox and been featured on National Geographic and The Somm Journal. Murphy possesses her WSET (Wine & Spirit Education Trust) Level 3 Advanced Certification.
This article has been viewed 143,809 times.
Wine refrigerators can be very expensive, with even the cheapest models running about two hundred dollars. So why buy one when you can convert your mini-fridge into a fully functioning wine refrigerator in just a few simple steps?
Steps
Method 1
Method 1 of 2:
Timer Method
Buy an appliance timer and thermometer. You can find an appliance timer in most hardware stores in the lighting section. Refrigerator thermometers are pretty easy to find. You can get them at pretty much any grocery store.
Set up the timer. Plug your mini-fridges power cord into the appliance timer. Then plug the appliance timer into the outlet.Advertisement
Turn the power setting to the lowest possible and put the thermometer in the mini-fridge. Allow it to run, and take the temperature. Once it is below 55 degrees F (proper wine storage temp) then move on to the next step.- The ideal temperature will depend on each type of wine. 55 degrees F is a good temperature for a light or medium red wine, while a sweet or white wine would probably fare better between 43 and 55 degrees F.
Set the appliance timer to raise the mini-fridge temperature to 55 degrees F (12.8 degrees C). Basically, the appliance timer can be set to intervals that will turn on and off power to the mini-fridge. This will effectively raise the temperature enough to make it a good place to store wine. Start with 2 hours on, 2 hours off intervals. If you start with this, and the temperature ends up above 56 degrees F, adjust the timer so that it has longer settings, like 2 1/2 hours on, 1 and 1/2 hours off. Likewise, if the temperature reads too low, adjust your timer so that it has longer off settings, 1 1/2 hours on and 2 1/2 hours off.Advertisement
Method 2
Method 2 of 2:
Thermostat Tinkering Method
Pull the control knob straight off the thermostat. You'll probably see a small screw next to the main control. That's the calibration screw.
Twist the calibration screw. Twisting it counterclockwise is likely to alter the temperature range so that the fridge doesn't get as cold, but the only way to make sure is to find out which direction turns the compressor on, then twist it in the opposite direction slightly past its original position.
Wait 12 to 24 hours, then take the temperature. Make incremental adjustments to the calibration screw until you get a good temperature for wine.Advertisement
Expert Q&A
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- QuestionWhat is the quickest way to chill wine?
Murphy PerngMurphy Perng is a Wine Consultant and the Founder and Host of Matter of Wine, a business that produces educational wine events, including team-building experiences, networking events, and private parties. Based in Los Angeles, California, Murphy has served as a Wine Educator for clients such as Google, Buzzfeed, Tiktok, Snapchat, and Equinox and been featured on National Geographic and The Somm Journal. Murphy possesses her WSET (Wine & Spirit Education Trust) Level 3 Advanced Certification.
Wine SpecialistFill a stainless steel tub halfway with water and halfway with ice. Then, place the white wine bottle in there for about half an hour. - QuestionWhat the temperature of a mini fridge be?
Community AnswerKeep the refrigerator temperature at or below 40° F (4° C). The freezer temperature should be 0° F (-18° C). Check temperatures periodically. Appliance thermometers are the best way of knowing these temperatures and are generally inexpensive.
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Tips
- As the weather changes in your home (e.g. changing seasons) you will probably need to adjust your on/off cycles or calibration screw.Thanks
- Raise the humidity as needed. Fridges are designed to keep humidity very low while good wine storage requires relatively high levels of humidity. You can purchase a hygrometer to track the moisture conditions. Humidity should be 70%. Keeping open containers of water in the mini-fridge is one way to increase humidity.Thanks
- The area just below the freezer compartment / cooling unit is likely to be several degrees colder than the rest of the fridge.Thanks
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Warnings
- It's recommended that you do this with a refrigerator that you don't depend on for any other purpose (food, beer, medication).Thanks
- Wines that are stored for long periods of time in this type of wine fridge may be damaged by the vibrations from the compressor. (This is why wine fridges are more expensive - they isolate the vibrations from the compressor so the wine is not affected. However, for short-term storage, the effects should be negligible.)Thanks
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Things You'll Need
- Mini-Fridge
- Appliance Timer
- Refrigerator Thermometer
Expert Interview
Thanks for reading our article! If you'd like to learn more about wine storage, check out our in-depth interview with Murphy Perng.
References
- Original Article: http://calwineries.com/blog/2007/01/18/how-macguyver-would-turn-a-mini-fridge-into-a-wine-refrigerator — Used with Permission 2007.
About this article
Murphy Perng
Wine Specialist
This article was co-authored by Murphy Perng. Murphy Perng is a Wine Consultant and the Founder and Host of Matter of Wine, a business that produces educational wine events, including team-building experiences, networking events, and private parties. Based in Los Angeles, California, Murphy has served as a Wine Educator for clients such as Google, Buzzfeed, Tiktok, Snapchat, and Equinox and been featured on National Geographic and The Somm Journal. Murphy possesses her WSET (Wine & Spirit Education Trust) Level 3 Advanced Certification. This article has been viewed 143,809 times.
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Co-authors: 23
Updated: April 17, 2023
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