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Never sip lukewarm vino again
Some days just call for a perfectly chilled glass of vino. But whether you’re heading off to a friend’s, or relaxing with a book, frequent trips to the fridge just won’t cut it. You need a wine cooler to keep that bottle perfectly frosty – equally refreshing whether you take the next glorious sip in one minute, or in one hour.
When choosing a quality wine cooler, there are two main considerations: how quickly and effectively it cools, and how long it maintains the chill.
Some bring down temperature fast, but fail to maintain it – that’s no biggie if you’re powering through a bottle with mates, but annoying if you’re savouring it over a long evening’s dinner. Others might not actively chill, but keep wine at a consistently cool, drinkable state for hours on end. The holy grail is, of course, a wine cooler that does both.
Priorities depend on your drinking style, and on your occasion – so we rigorously tested all styles, and price points, for our roundup below. We also, to a lesser degree, considered looks in the equation. Highly effective wine coolers often look clunky; not ideal if you’re serving a splash-out bottle on a swanky date night.
Finally, decide how much you care about portability. Some coolers double as decorative centrepieces, designed to showcase a bottle while cooling discreetly – but they won’t be useful past your garden. Others are lightweight, fold flat, and squeeze effortlessly into a picnic bag for use on the go.
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We tested all these coolers multiple times, with room-temperature bottles – seeing how effectively and quickly they chilled – as well as with pre-refrigerated wines, to ensure that they could maintain coolness too. Here are the results…
For drinking on the go, it was a toss-up – but the PackIt is so versatile, and effective, we can’t fault it. While the S’well came in a close second. We’d love it even more if it could hold Champagne bottles, but even still it ticks so many boxes with its tidy appearance and ability to keep pre-chilled bottles cool for hours without needing to resort to ice.
Finally, if you’re not bothered about your cooler being uber-stylish, Vacu Vin does the job brilliantly, and cost-effectively. Despite hugging some bottles a little too snuggly, it chills quickly and keeps wine staying as you want it: deliciously, refreshingly drinkable.
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