Convert a Fridge Into a Wine Bottle Refrigerator

Collecting wine requires proper storage in the form of a wine bottle refrigerator. You can ruin the wine you have invested in by storing it at the wrong temperature or the wrong humidity. While many appliance manufactures have added wine storage units to their product lines to aid the wine collector, you can save that money by creating a wine bottle refrigerator out of a standard or mini fridge that may be sitting in your garage.

When converting a refrigerator, consider the layout of its interior shelves, door shelves and compartments. Decide if the entire refrigerator will be devoted to wine or if it will need to accommodate other items as well. Then take a count of how many bottles you will be storing and whether you will adding to your collection over time. You will have to decide whether you will use existing shelving or fit the refrigerator with a lattice rack.  

Appliance Timer and Thermometer

The two essential components of your homemade wine refrigerator are an appliance timer and some sort of thermometer, either liquid or refrigerator. You can determine the exact temperature of the wine by placing a liquid thermometer in a glass of water inside the wine refrigerator.

Wine Storage Kit

If you decide to utilize shelving in your refrigerator to store wine, you might consider purchasing a specifically tailored kit for doing so. The kit comes with step-by-step instructions as well as all the equipment you will need. The shelves in your refrigerator will just slide out, so that will not be a problem. Make sure the kit is made for your refrigerator style and model. 

Wine Storage Kit

If you are not using a kit, a lattice rack will be the easiest kind to add to your refrigerator. Make sure you measure the size of the space inside your refrigerator where the rack will go. You can purchase a lattice wine rack online, at a local store or you can build one yourself, which may be the best way to get a perfect fit in your specific refrigerator. The simple "x" pattern of the lattice rack is easy to create for even a novice carpenter and should give you little trouble.

Once you have finished building the interior of your wine refrigerator, add your wine bottles. Next, take your appliance timer and plug the refrigerator into it. Now, plug the appliance timer into the wall. To start, set the timer for two hours on and two hours off. Allow the refrigerator to run this way for about 24 hours. If you have a liquid thermometer, remember to place a glass of water in the refrigerator for 24 hours. After the 24 hours have passed, take the temperature of either the water or the refrigerator. 

The best temperature for storing wine is about 55 degrees F. If the temperature of your wine refrigerator is less than 55 degrees, adjust your timer to keep the refrigerator off longer than it is on. If the temperature is more than 55 degrees, adjust your timer to keep the refrigerator on longer than it is off. Keep adjusting the timer every 24 hours until you are at 55 degrees or close to it.