Americans are thirsty for wine, with sales growing steadily year after year and businesses taking note. It’s not just retailers, online merchants and restaurateurs paying attention. The residential appliance industry is tapping into this trend, as well, with increasingly sophisticated wine refrigeration.
At the 2019 Kitchen & Bath Industry Show and International Builders’ Show – combined into the massive Design & Construction Week held last February in Las Vegas – upscale brands like Liebherr, Dacor, Gaggenau, Thermador, Miele and Signature Kitchen Suite were showcasing new models with an unexpected feature: a third zone.
Three zone wine refrigerators blend seamlessly into high end kitchens.
Miele
“Why settle for a dual zone wine column when you can have three independently controlled zones?” Asks Scott Kim, Dacor’s Director of Products and R&D. “A third zone offers the users the ability to cater to every wine storage need. A higher temperature for reds, intermediate for whites and chilled for champagne.”
Dual zone wine refrigeration has long been standard for the home chef who enjoys cooking and entertaining friends and family. This client wants more than a wine rack, but less than a wine cellar. Signature Kitchen Suites’, (LG’s premium brand), calls such buyers “technicureans,” individuals interested in using smart home technology to educate themselves on epicurean delights. “The most important motivation for creating any multi-zone integrated column wine refrigerator is to give you the flexibility to properly store a range of wine varietals and best manage your collection,” shares Zach Elkin, Signature Kitchen Suite’s general manager.
Gaggenau’s marketing manager, Skyler Stevenson, adds that “precise temperature control of three independent climate zones allows a wine enthusiast to age part of their collection in cellar-like conditions, while bottles that should be enjoyed now can be served on demand.”
Designer Danny Russo of DanielHome in Columbus, OH is intrigued. “ I have been asked for them multiple times over the last year [and] was unaware of this option in the past.” He definitely sees himself specifying these units on client projects. So does designer Meg Lonergan of Meg Lonergan Interiors in Houston. ‘Fab’ was her response to the three zone concept.
A three zone wine refrigerator adds cellar features in an appliance.
Liebherr Appliances
“I think it is a good concept to offer three separate zones,” shares Cheryl Carpenter, Designer & Studio Manager for Poggenpohl’s Houston studio, but it’s not driven by client demand, she comments.
Russ Diamond, president of Snyder Diamond, agrees. The Santa Monica-based high end appliance and plumbing retail company has been catering to design professionals for 65 years and has seen just about every trend that has come onto the scene. “Our sales associates are telling me three zones is not a requested feature, or a very rare request. A true wine enthusiast might use a wine cooler for staging wines before serving.” This client also has a wine cellar, he points out.
Old Greenwich, CT-based Chuck Wheelock of Wheelock Design serves the wine cellar client, too, but sees the three zone refrigeration option as appealing. “Many of our high end clients would appreciate this feature, especially close to where they need it.” That placement could be a pool house or outdoor kitchen – including for homeowners who have wine cellars. This would be equipping entertaining zones far from the cellar, especially paired with a beverage and food refrigerator, he explains.
Third zone allows wine to be staged before serving.
Thermador
Whether three zone refrigeration appeals to you depends on your wine preferences, as well as your space and budget. These built-in appliances are typically 24 inches wide by 72 inches or taller, hold 95 or more bottles and cost $2,000 to $7,000 plus. They usually offer interior lighting, handles that coordinate with other appliances in their series, or panel-ready options to blend subtly into the room. These are all about satisfying both your taste for wine and high end home style.