Uses for a Wine Cooler: What It Is Good For Beyond Wine
A wine cooler is a very good drinks cabinet and a poor food fridge. Here is what it handles well, what it does not, and which mixed wine-and-can units I would choose if you want it to do more than hold bottles.
The Essentials
The honest uses for wine cooler space are drinks: beer, soda, sparkling water, mixers, sake, and whites and sparkling wine held at serving temperature. It is not a place for perishable food, because wine coolers commonly run in the 40s to 60s F and food belongs in a refrigerator at 40 F or below. If you want one cabinet for wine and cans, the Antarctic Star 16 Bottle / 68 Can is my first pick, a compact compressor unit that reaches 40 F. The trade-off that decides most purchases is zones: one zone means a compromise temperature, two zones let wine and cans sit at different settings.
Top Wine and Beverage Cooler Picks
→ Best Beverage Cabinet – Antarctic Star 2.4 cu ft Cabinet
→ Best Dual Zone Wine and Cans – NewAir NWB051BKD0 Shadow
On This Page
What Can You Store in a Wine Cooler?
Most people buy a wine cooler for wine and then notice the empty shelf. A few cans of sparkling water go in, then a bottle of tonic, then someone asks whether the leftover cheese board can go in too. It is a fair question, and the answer is not always yes.
A wine cooler is built to hold a steady temperature that suits wine, which is warmer than a kitchen refrigerator. That makes it excellent for some things and a genuine risk for others. This guide sorts the good uses for wine cooler space from the bad ones, explains why, and points you to the mixed wine-and-can cabinets that make the most of the space. If you are still deciding whether a cooler is right for you at all, our mixed beverage cooler guide covers the category in more depth.
What a Wine Cooler Can and Cannot Store
The Best Uses for Wine Cooler Space
Think of a wine cooler as a drinks cabinet with a narrow, steady temperature band. Anything sealed that you want cool but not ice cold is a good fit. Here is what works well:
- Beer, soda and sparkling water. Cans and bottles are sealed and do not spoil at wine temperatures. They simply come out less cold than they would from the kitchen fridge unless the cooler reaches the low end of its range.
- White and sparkling wine at serving temperature. A cooler set in the 40s F keeps a few bottles ready to open. Our best wine fridge for Champagne guide covers sparkling wine in detail. Hosting friends? Our guide to how to host a wine tasting party at home covers how cold to serve each wine.
- Mixers. Tonic, soda water and ginger beer stay cool and keep their fizz until you open them.
- Sake. Many sake styles are served chilled, and an unopened bottle sits happily in a cool, dark cabinet.
So what else can you store in a wine cooler? Sealed drinks, broadly. Once a bottle or can is opened, or once the item is food rather than drink, the answer changes.
Food: Be Careful
This is the part I want to be plain about. Wine coolers commonly run in the 40s to 60s F, because that is where wine is happiest. Perishable food belongs in a refrigerator at 40 F or below, which is the general food safety guidance. A cooler set to 55 F for red wine is too warm for milk, meat, fish, cooked leftovers or soft cheese. Even a unit that can reach 40 F at the bottom of its range is not a substitute for a refrigerator, because the door is opened for drinks and the temperature drifts.
Important Consideration
If you want to chill food and drinks together, buy a beverage refrigerator or use the kitchen fridge. Do not rely on a wine cooler to keep perishable food safe. Our wine storage risk assessment is a useful check on whether your cooler setup suits what you are actually keeping in it.
Chocolate, Cigars, Cosmetics and Medicines
You will find lists online suggesting all of these. My honest answer is short. A wine cooler does not control humidity, and it is not a medical or cigar storage device. If a product has its own storage instructions, follow those. If you need a humidor or a medicine fridge, buy one made for the job.
Capacity and Cans
Bottle counts are not universal. Some listings count Bordeaux bottles and some count standard bottles, and can counts assume twelve-ounce cans. The Antarctic Star 16 Bottle is rated for 16 Bordeaux bottles or 68 twelve-ounce cans, which tells you it is one or the other rather than both at once. Our wine cellar space calculator helps you plan a realistic mix.
Temperature Range and Zones
For a mixed cabinet, the low end of the range matters most, because that is how cold your cans will get. A single zone forces one compromise setting for wine and drinks. A dual zone lets you run wine warmer on one side and cans colder on the other. Our temperature zone matcher shows whether your mix genuinely needs two zones. For the differences in more detail, see our dual zone guide.
Installation and Placement
Placement Alert
A drinks cabinet often ends up in a bar area or under a counter. Only put a cooler into cabinetry if its listing approves built-in use with front ventilation. The Antarctic Star 16 Bottle is freestanding only and needs 2 inches of clearance. The NewAir Shadow is listed as freestanding. Our freestanding wine cooler guide explains the clearance rules.
Price Ranges and Value
Single-zone units handle wine or cans at one setting. Dual-zone units separate wine from drinks. Check the current price on each listing. If you mainly want cold cans with a few bottles of white, a single zone is usually enough; if you keep reds alongside beer, it is worth paying for two zones.
Our Top Pick
Antarctic Star 16 Bottle / 68 Can – a compact compressor unit with a range of 40 to 61 F, two removable shelves and double-pane UV glass, sized for a small space and a mixed load.
Best Wine Cooler by Use
Wine and Cans in a Small Space
For a compact home bar or a spare corner, the Antarctic Star 16 Bottle / 68 Can is where I would start. It holds 16 Bordeaux bottles or 68 twelve-ounce cans in 1.7 cu ft, with compressor cooling, a single zone and a seven-position knob covering 40 to 61 F. It measures 16.93 inches wide, 16.34 deep and 22.24 high, with double-pane UV glass. The honest limits: the knob is less precise than a digital readout, defrost is manual, and it is freestanding only with 2 inches of clearance, so it cannot go under a counter. It has 4.2 of 5 from 95 ratings on Amazon. Read the full Antarctic Star 16 Bottle review for the details, and our 16-bottle guide for other units this size.
A Beverage Cabinet With Room to Spare
If cans and mixers are the main job and wine is a guest, the Antarctic Star Cabinet Beverage Refrigerator 2.4 cu ft is the brand’s mid-size wine and beverage cabinet. It is compressor-cooled with a glass door, and it has 4.2 of 5 from 3,506 ratings on Amazon, the largest rating count of the coolers on this page. I do not have its full specifications, so check the listing for bottle capacity, temperature range and dimensions before you buy. There is no review on this site yet; the Antarctic Star brand guide covers the range.
Separate Zones for Wine and Drinks
If you want reds at one temperature and cans at another, the NewAir NWB051BKD0 Shadow 12 Bottle / 39 Can is the dual-zone option among our current picks. It holds 12 standard bottles plus 39 cans in 2.5 cu ft, with compressor cooling, an internal circulation fan and two independently controlled zones, each covering 37 to 64 F. It has 10 removable shelves, a frameless mirrored double-pane glass door with UV filtering and a lock, and a manufacturer noise rating of 35 dB. It is 20 inches wide and freestanding. I have to be honest about owner feedback: it has 3.3 of 5 from 24 ratings on Amazon, which is a low score from a small number of ratings. Read the NewAir Shadow review before you commit.
A Built-In Drinks Fridge
If the cabinet must go under a counter, look at the COWSAR 15 Inch Beverage Refrigerator. The listing approves built-in placement with front ventilation or freestanding use. It has 2.9 cubic feet, a single zone at 36 to 61 F and seven removable, adjustable shelves, and it is 14.95 inches wide. The manufacturer publishes no can or bottle count, and it has 3.8 of 5 from only 5 ratings on Amazon, a very small sample.
Wine First, Occasional Bottles of Something Else
If you mostly keep wine and only occasionally slip in a bottle of sake or sparkling water, a wine-only cooler is fine. The Koolatron WC20 Urban Series 20 Bottle holds 20 standard bottles at 46 to 66 F and can sit on a counter, though at 46 F it will not get cans very cold. For a narrow gap, the Yeego 12 Inch 17 Bottle Dual Zone is 11.6 inches wide and dual zone at 40 to 65 F. For more small options, see our small wine cooler guide.
How the Top Wine and Beverage Coolers Compare
Quick Comparison: Wine and Beverage Coolers
| Model | Capacity | Cooling | Zones | Temperature range | Width |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Antarctic Star 16 Bottle / 68 Can | 16 Bordeaux bottles or 68 cans (1.7 cu ft) | Compressor | Single | 40-61 F | 16.93 in |
| Antarctic Star Cabinet 2.4 cu ft | 2.4 cu ft (check listing for bottles) | Compressor | Check listing | Check listing | Check listing |
| NewAir NWB051BKD0 Shadow | 12 standard bottles plus 39 cans (2.5 cu ft) | Compressor with circulation fan | Dual | 37-64 F in each zone | 20 in |
| COWSAR 15 Inch Beverage Refrigerator | 2.9 cu ft (no count published) | Compressor with fan circulation | Single | 36-61 F | 14.95 in |
| Koolatron WC20 Urban Series | 20 standard bottles (1.7 cu ft) | Thermoelectric | Single | 46-66 F | 20.25 in |
Want to line up more models side by side? Try our wine cooler comparison matrix.
Investment Analysis
When you weigh the uses for wine cooler shelves against the price, the question to ask is not how much the cooler holds, but what it will actually hold in your house. If you keep beer and wine together, a single-zone unit forces a middle setting that suits neither perfectly. A dual-zone unit solves that but takes more space and asks more of you in setup. If most of what you store is cans, a beverage cabinet with the largest usable shelf area beats a wine cooler with a bigger bottle count. And weigh owner ratings honestly: a large count with a steady score tells you more than a high score from a handful of buyers.
How to Make a Wine Cooler Last
Once a cooler holds drinks, you will probably open it more often, so keep the door closed between trips and do not overload the shelves so tightly that air cannot move. Wipe up any spilled soda or beer quickly, because sugar and residue collect around door seals. If your unit has manual defrost, as the Antarctic Star 16 Bottle does, switch it off and let any frost melt before it builds up. Dust the vents every few months. Keep strong-smelling food out of the cabinet entirely, and check that the door still seals evenly after you move shelves around to fit cans.
How to Choose a Wine Cooler for More Than Wine
Step-by-Step Selection Guide
- Decide what it is for – wine with a few cans, cans with a few bottles, or both in equal measure. Equal measure points to dual zone.
- Check the low end of the range – that sets how cold your cans will get. Look for a unit that reaches the low 40s F or below.
- Rule out food storage – if you need to keep perishable food cold, buy a refrigerator, not a wine cooler.
- Choose built-in or freestanding – under a counter needs a front-vent unit approved for built-in use. See our built-in wine cooler guide.
Compare Before You Choose
Line up these options by capacity, cooling type, zones and budget in the wine cooler comparison matrix.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a wine cooler be used for other drinks?
Yes. Beer, soda, sparkling water, mixers and sake all store well in a wine cooler because they are sealed and do not spoil at wine temperatures. The only catch is temperature: they come out as cold as the cooler is set, so a cabinet set at 55 F for red wine will not give you ice-cold cans. A mixed unit that reaches the low 40s F or below, or a dual-zone unit, does the job better.
What are wine coolers good for?
The main wine cooler uses are keeping wine at a steady temperature away from light and vibration, holding whites and sparkling wine at serving temperature, and chilling sealed drinks such as beer, soda, mixers and sake. They are not good for perishable food, and they do not control humidity.
Can wine coolers be used for food?
Not for perishable food. Wine coolers commonly run in the 40s to 60s F, and perishable food belongs in a refrigerator at 40 F or below under general food safety guidance. Keep meat, dairy, fish and leftovers in the kitchen fridge. A wine cooler is also not a humidor or a medicine fridge.
How long will wine last in a wine cooler?
An unopened bottle lasts as long as that wine is meant to last; the cooler does not extend its natural life, it simply protects it from heat, light and temperature swings. Everyday wines are generally made to be drunk young, while wines built for ageing can be kept for years at a steady cellar temperature. Opened wine is different: recork it and drink it within a few days.
Which Wine Cooler Should You Buy for Mixed Use?
Final Word
Use a wine cooler for wine and sealed drinks, never for perishable food. If you want one cabinet for both wine and cans, buy a mixed unit that reaches the low 40s F. For most people in a small space that is the Antarctic Star 16 Bottle / 68 Can.
- Best for wine and cans: Antarctic Star 16 Bottle / 68 Can
- Best beverage cabinet: Antarctic Star Cabinet Beverage Refrigerator 2.4 cu ft
- Best dual zone wine and cans: NewAir NWB051BKD0 Shadow, with its small, low rating count in mind
- Skip a wine cooler if: you mainly need to keep food cold. Buy a refrigerator instead.
Related Guides
References & Sources
- UC Davis Department of Viticulture and Enology – research on wine storage temperature and how wine changes as it ages.
- WSET – wine education, including serving temperatures for white, sparkling and red wine.
- ASHRAE – refrigeration and cooling performance standards.
- U.S. Department of Energy – Energy Saver – general guidance on running refrigeration appliances efficiently.
Product details come from the individual Wine Cellar Diva reviews and current Amazon listings linked above. It reflects my professional assessment after more than ten years reviewing wine coolers and wine cellar equipment.
About Ms. DuPont
I have spent over ten years testing and reviewing wine coolers, wine cellar equipment, and wine-related gear, and tracking how it actually holds up over time.