How Deep Is A Wine Fridge?

One thing people often over look when buying a wine fridge is how deep it is.

The depth of a wine fridge can often be deeper than other house hold appliances so its important you double (and triple) check the size of the wine cooler you're looking to purchase before you press the buy button.

Unfortunately we've had customers purchase a wine fridge from us in the past, only to then have to return them as they were too deep for the space intended.

Take a quick read of our guide below so you can find the perfect wine fridge for your space.

This is especially important when purchasing a built in or integrated wine fridge which is being installed under a counter or into cabinetry.

How Deep is a Wine Fridge?

Here are the common depths of the 3 popular types of wine fridge:

• Freestanding Wine Fridge Depth - Ranges from 430mm to 725mm
• Built in Wine Fridge Depth - Ranges from 550mm to 725mm
• Integrated Wine Fridge Depth - Ranges from 550mm to 600mm

Like any home appliance the dimensions of the appliance you purchase need to fit the space you have available.

Essentially there are 3 types of wine fridges (all with different requirements when it comes to the dimensions and space required to operate correctly). 

Depth Considerations When Purchasing a Wine Cooler

The depth considerations you need to take into account differ depending on whether you're purchasing a freestanding, built in or integrated wine fridge.

Take a look at our guide on each type of wine fridge and their depth below.

As with all wine fridges, consult with the installation diagrams / product manuals before purchasing.

Freestanding Wine Fridge

• Freestanding wine coolers are available with shallower depths ( less than 500mm deep) however you also need to consider that these models require an additional 50mm - 100mm free space at the rear to ventilate correctly. So always factor this in to any depth calculation you make when considering a purchase.
• Aside from free space at the rear, freestanding models must not be contained at the sides or the top either so essentially they're best suited to be left in free space with plenty of room to ventilate.

Built In Wine Cooler

• Built in wine fridges are available with slightly larger depth than freestanding models but crucially these types of wine cooler don't need any ventilation space at the rear of the unit (which eats up more depth). Built in models ventilate from the air vent in the front so the depth measurement you see on installation diagrams only needs to factor in 10-15mm gap at the back for the power cable.
• Be careful, a 60cm wine fridge isn't always 600mm deep (like other kitchen appliances can be). Many are 600mm + deep so may not fit with your carpentry designs.

Integrated Wine Cooler

• Most integrated wine fridges are around 550mm to 600mm deep. 
• While we sell many integrated wine fridges which are self ventilating - this means no additional ventilation space is required at the rear - there are also a large number of integrated models which require an air channel at the rear of the unit to ventilate the unit correctly. Make sure you consider this when purchasing an integrated wine fridge - you can find out if a model is self ventilating on product pages and via the product manuals / installation guide.

Why Are Wine Fridges Deep?

Wine fridges tend to be slightly deeper than other kitchen appliances as the majority hold wine bottles flat and horizontally on wooden or metal shelves.

This means the neck end of the bottle is facing the door of the wine fridge while the bottom of the bottle points to the back of the wine fridge where the fans and compressor are houses.

Because wine bottles are quite long objects ( minimum 28cm ) the distance from the door to the rear of the unit together with the body of the appliance will always be the constraint.

In tall wine fridges, bottles are often stored 2 deep hence the reason why a larger unit can be anywhere from 650mm + in depth.

What Is The Minimum Depth for a Wine Fridge

The minimum depth of a wine fridge we sell is 430mm deep.

You can find our shallowest product here:

La Sommelière ECS30.2Z

This model is a freestanding wine cooler and needs ventilation space around the back, sides and rear of 5-10cm. 

Freestanding models must also NOT be covered over head or placed into cabinetry.

What is the Depth of a Wine Cabinet

The depth of wine cabinets is usually around 600 - 725mm deep as these are larger appliances which house to lengths of wine bottle laid flat. 

How Deep is an Under Counter Wine Fridge

Under counter wine fridges available range from 550mm to 595mm deep.

When purchasing an under counter wine fridge make sure you note the following:

• Most under counter models will require 10-15mm space behind the unit for the power cable to be housed / positioned
• You will need to take in to account any space on the hinge side of the door for the door to swing open. Usually a gap of 10-15mm will be sufficient.

Summary

We hope you enjoyed learning all about the depth of wine fridges.

If you have any questions, leave them in the comments, or email us at info@expertwinestorage.co.uk

If you want to learn more about other types, consider our related blog posts:

You can also shop new wine coolers online at Expertwinestorage.co.uk.

You can browse more posts on Wine Storage here.