Reliable Under-Counter Wine Refrigerator?

I have been doing a lot of research for a quality under-counter wine cooler and wanted some opinions on reliable units on the market. We are planning on remodeling our kitchen next spring and were looking to put a unit in the island.

After hours of research I haven’t found a unit that gets unambitious praise. It seems every unit has some kind of flaw. I was hoping you guys could share your experiences and help guide me into the right direction on a quality unit.

I am looking for something with the following specifications:

Holds 35-50ish bottles in capacity
Dual-Zone would be nice
Stainless Steel Finish
Under-Counter Design (No Freestanding)

Some units I have looked at include:

N’FINITY PRO HDX 46 - Reading that the new shelves are terrible
EdgeStar CWR531SZ - A lot of reviews that the unit is noisy
Wine Enthusiast Classic 46 - Some reviews concerning reliability
Avanti - More reliability concerns


Thoughts and opinions? What do you guys recommend for my needs?

Got a Electrolux unit 2 years ago and have been happy with it. Shelves are good (tight fit for Champagne and larger Pinot bottles). Unit is quiet. Probably more expensive than those you’ve looked at.

I have 3 of the Avanti 52 bottle models. Two side by side in the house and one in the garage. The garage one is going on 7 years old, the others 5+yrs and still work flawlessly. One of the indoor units can be heard when the compressor runs but it is only for a minute or two, not all that loud and only heard if it is quiet in the house. Keeps everything at 58°. Not dual zone but why should it be really? Are winery cellars dual zone? Uh nope. I have an ice bucket, refrigerator and freezer for quick chills.

The shelves are wire racks which can scratch labels if you are not careful. It only took once for me to understand the work-around. There some moisture issues in one of them and the labels will loosen on the bottles on the lower shelves. No effect on the wine.

Otherwise I’ve never had an issue with any of them. Reliability claims are likely due to people manhandling them during shipping/installation. I got all mine from Home Depot, directly off the shipping pallet in the store and onto a hand truck into the house. I believe that the care taken in transportation leads to a worry free ownership. Just my 2¢.

Thanks for the recommendations so far. Anyone else have some input?

Love, Love, Love my Sub-Zero 424. If you’re doing an upscale remodel I cannot recommend it enough. You should be able to purchase a floor sample to save some money. Expensive, but well worth it.

+1

Thanks for the recommendation. Have you guys had any reliability issues with it? I would hate to spend that much money for it only to have the same issues as the other built-in units.

I’ve had my Nfinity 50 built in unit since April 2010 and never had a problem with it. It’s a data point but I’m not sure what if anything such a small sampling can tell you about overall reliability though.

We have a U-Line 52 bottle wine refrigerator in our bar at home. It’s 25 years old and works fine. Pricey then, probably still a little pricey. The ones we have at the store are from Home Depot, 50 bottle, one for red and one for white and replace them every 3 to 5 years because that’s all they last.

+1 on U-Line 20 years never a problem.

You’re supposed to do the Molly Dooker Shake AFTER you remove the bottle from the cooler.