I am looking to expand some of my storage as I am slowly delving deeper into wine. I do not own a home yet so a full cellar is not possible, but I am looking to get a wine fridge that caan store more than 20 but fewer than 50 bottles. I know there are some great expensive options, but as I am definitely still a novice, I cannot convince the wife to let me spend that much on something. So I am reaching out to the community to ask for suggestions on what is the best bang for the buck? I am hoping to spend sub-$500 if possible.
Where are you located? I have oneā¦ 
You might find this discussion useful.
I am located in North Jersey near NYC
Yeah, thatās what I said when I bought this from Home Depot 8 years ago. Donāt worry, it will be full in no time.
Now I own three of them full and have a wine closet with 30 cases in it. They go on sale often so check with your local store. Maybe Black Friday? They are having a pre-Black Friday sale starting this week. I think I saw Nov 2 written on the pallets yesterday.
Small == 200 bottles, medium == 400, large == 600+ .
Computing background? I dont think anyone without it would use the ā==ā that way.
Costco has some good deals, but most are probably more than you wanted to spend. Hereās one currently on sale reg $1499, now $1199, delivery included, the Wine Enthusiast S-166 (I donāt own one, so not sure about performance/reliability):
I have the 300 bottle one. Love it. Costcoās white glove delivery will bring it right into the house and in our case into the basement and put it right where you want it for no extra charge.
I also have one of the ones Brian mentioned above. Hard to beat value. Been running strong for about 7 years. It will actually hold about 65 bottles instead of the listed 50.
The one from home depot looks very nice. My wish would be one like the costco one butā¦ thatās not happening soon. I will be on the lookout to see if that 50-bottle one goes on sale.
Keep an eye on Craigslist, some good units come up. Got a 100 bottle eurocave for <$500
I bought one of these early this month:
http://www.pcrichard.com/Avanti/Avanti-34-Bottle-Free-Standing-Wine-Cooler/WC3406.pcrp
If you order from PC Richard be sure to have the delivery people open the box before they leave. My first delivery had a broken door, the second was fine.
Hard to beat the value though this is definitely small, not medium 
Brian - what is the actual capacity of this fridge while in use? I drink a lot of burgundy and champagne shaped bottles so Iām curious if Iād be able to get anywhere close to 50 in this fridge.
On the wire shelves it holds 52 bottles nested. Old PAX Syrah bottles fit tightly as do Turley Zin and labels get torn if you are not careful. Burgs should not be a problem. The two bottom shelves prefer narrower bottles like Zinfandel/Sauv Blanc/Riesling. I have found bubbles to only fit loosely on the top. If you were to remove the next to bottom shelf you could stack sparkling wine there.
I have this same fridge. I found that if you put bottles straight in as intended, it will hold 50, but if you push the bottles so they touch the back wall, you can fit another 12 or so perpendicular to the straight in bottles on the front of the shelf. The shelves also flex a bit, so you can fit bigger bottles on the shelves.
Added a Sub Zero model 424 when we remodeled our kitchen 10 years ago. Donāt remember the price. Holds 50 bottles on 6 shelves and bottom layer. Never had a problem. Dual temperature controls for 2 top shelves and bottom 4. Some sparkling wine bottles can be a little tight and 375ml bottles fit in bottom layer, but not the shelves. Was a built in so not sure about free standing model.
In North Jersey if you are a ānoviceā iām sure your basement will be fineā¦ without a fridge.
If only I had a basementā¦ Landlord rents out the basement so that is a no go for me.
I have this one - http://www.wineenthusiast.com/wine-enthusiast-silent-28-bottle-wine-refrigerator-(stainless-steel-trim).asp
Pretty bare bones but you canāt beat the price.
Buying such a small one is almost a waste of $$$$.