A built-in wine cellar, sometimes called an integrated wine cellar, is a key tool for storing your wine. The whole point is to save space: it slides into a wall or a piece of furniture. So how do you pick one? There are a lot of criteria. In this piece, we break down the offer and give you a buying guide for the best built-in wine cellars.

What is a built-in wine cellar?

The integrated wine cellar was designed to save space in your home. It slots under a worktop, into a piece of furniture, in your living room, or stands as a column anywhere. Installation is fairly simple thanks to its compact dimensions. It functions like an appliance, think of it like a dishwasher. It’s aimed at people with a fitted kitchen. Built-in wine cellars are typically between 30 and 60 cm wide.

Which one to choose?

There are plenty of brands of built-in wine cellars: Klarstein, Vinostyle, Climadiff, Dunavox, Cecotec. You can buy them on Amazon or at retailers like Boulanger, Darty, Leclerc, or Conforama. To help you out, we’ve picked a few that should hit the spot.

Picking a built-in wine cellar

To help you find the right built-in wine cellar, here are a few models that’ll fit nicely into your space.

Klarstein Vinsider

Price: €649Klarstein Vinsider built-in wine cellar, 24 bottles The Klarstein Vinsider built-in wine cellar holds up to 24 bottles. Temperature ranges from 5 to 22°C, and it has 3 shelves. Aesthetically it looks elegant thanks to the stainless steel. Of course, this cellar saves you space without compromising on storing your bottles. Klarstein promises vibration-free storage. Buy this wine cellar

Pros:

  • Activatable interior lighting
  • Adjustable feet
  • Aesthetically pleasing
  • Quiet
  • Discreet

Cons:

  • Tricky to fit 24 bottles in practice

Vinostyle VSI40DPIN

Price: €649Vinostyle VSI40DPIN built-in wine cellar, 40 bottles The second pick is Vinostyle’s VSI40DPIN. This one has 4 adjustable feet so you can tweak the height between 82 and 89 cm. Temperature ranges from 5 to 20°C. It holds 40 bottles. It also features a double door that’s nice to look at. Anti-vibration system included. Buy this wine cellar

Pros:

  • Adjustable feet
  • Big capacity
  • Interior lighting

Cons:

  • Pricey
  • Energy class C

Dunavox built-in wine cellar

Price: €599Dunavox built-in wine cellar, 7 bottles The third pick is a Dunavox built-in cellar. Very practical for small kitchens. It’s 87 cm tall, 14.8 cm wide, and 52.5 cm deep. It only holds 7 bottles, so it’s more for personal use. Temperature ranges from 10 to 22°C. Buy this wine cellar

Pros:

  • Compact
  • Vertical format
  • Beautiful finish

Cons:

  • Small capacity, only 7 bottles

Klarstein Vinamour

Price: €469.99Klarstein Vinamour built-in wine cellar, 28 bottles The fourth pick is the Klarstein Vinamour, a wine cellar with a glass door and two cooling zones. Elegant and easy to fit anywhere in a kitchen. 28-bottle capacity, temperature ranging from 4 to 18°C. Buy this wine cellar

Pros:

  • Elegant ambience
  • 2 cooling zones
  • Glass door
  • Big storage capacity

Cons:

  • Pricey

How to buy a built-in wine cellar

There are budget wine cellars, made-to-measure wine cellars, and even mini wine cellars. Practical and useful, there’s something for every taste and need. Here are a few criteria to consider.

Criteria for choosing the right built-in wine cellar

Before buying, it helps to know the parameters. Pay attention to the features the cellar offers, they’ll determine how well it serves you.

Must-have features of a built-in wine cellar

  1. Energy consumption: smaller cellars come with a meaningful efficiency advantage. Lower electricity bills.
  2. Storage capacity and dimensions: storage is key. Look at the maximum bottle count. Pay close attention to dimensions, judging by bottle volume rather than actual measurements often means the cellar won’t fit your space.
  3. Temperature, humidity, and noise: make sure the cellar isn’t too loud, look for quiet models. Temperature range and humidity control are fundamental, without them, wine doesn’t keep properly.
  4. Design: last but not least, looks. A built-in wine cellar is meant to blend into the decor, so picking a design that fits the rest of the room matters.

Built-in wine cellar features

It’s often hard to know how to choose a wine cellar given how much choice there is. There are several types of wine cellars: the service cellar, the ageing cellar, the multi-temperature cellar, and the storage cellar. Each one is for a different use. The good news with built-in cellars: every type has a built-in version, so everyone can find what they need.

Where to buy your built-in wine cellar

You’ll find built-in wine cellars in plenty of places. Big retailers like Boulanger, Darty, Conforama. Brand boutiques like Liebherr or Klarstein. You can also order online, Amazon offers huge selection, fast delivery, and competitive prices. Customer reviews help confirm capacity. The return policy is solid if it doesn’t suit you. And keep an eye on Black Friday for great deals.

Built-in wine cellar prices

Prices vary widely depending on what you choose. Generally, they range from €150 to over €2,500. The big driver is size. If no built-in cellar suits you, you can go for a made-to-measure wine cellar, but expect a different budget.

For the right wine cellar temperature, follow our advice above. And don’t forget you can also use a wine app for your cellar to keep track of what you’ve got. There’s also a wide choice of wine cellar management apps built for the job.

Built-in wine cellar recap

To help you decide, here’s a quick recap of the best built-in wine cellars:

CellarProsConsPrice
Klarstein VinsiderActivatable interior lighting Adjustable feet Aesthetic Quiet DiscreetTricky to fit 24 bottles€649.99
Vinostyle VSI40DPINAdjustable feet Big capacity Interior lightingPricey Energy class C€700
Dunavox built-inCompact Vertical format Beautiful finishSmall capacity, 7 bottles only€599
Klarstein VinamourElegant ambience 2 cooling zones Glass door Big storagePricey€469.99

So now you’ve got everything you need to pick your built-in wine cellar. If you still haven’t found what you’re looking for, check our piece on how to choose a wine cellar, or our mini wine cellar buying guide. We hope this helps you make a decision, and that you’ll raise a toast to our health after the purchase, of course in the right wine glass.