Why are under-counter wine coolers so expensive?

I’ve been shopping for a 24" unit that will hold 45+ bottles and I can’t figure why these things are so expensive. There are a couple around $500, but then there is a big gap and the next set start around $2,000 and go up from there. You can get a quite good full-sized refrigerator for less than that, even a built-in type.

A plain under-counter refrigerator can be had for as little as $200, which will have to run a lot more to keep a standard 40F/5C refrigerator temperature. And 20-bottle coolers are very cheap – some under $100.

One salesman I asked said it was because of the dual temperature zones and very accurate temperature control. But standard refrigerators have two sides and they keep temperatures on each side in a very narrow range – at least as good as you need for wine. (I know, because I’ve measured my fridges.)

I assume the explanation is that the manufacturers realize these are only sold to affluent customers who will pay up. Lots of small fridges are sold for dorm rooms and man caves and the like, and the small wine coolers probably go to apartment dwellers who can’t pay extortionate prices. Hence the disconnect between those prices and the coolers I’m looking at.

Anyone else got any plausible explanation?

This was some time ago, but we got a GE one that was I think $800-$900 or so, however that was more than ten years ago. IIRC some of the price differentials were in the quality of the rackings.

I do remember looking at them again recently and thinking they seemed a touch rich for what they are.

that logic can easily be expanded to all wine fridges - there’s no reason a la cache or whatever costs as much as it does, except…that it does.

Because if you’re in the demographic that wants to buy 45+ bottles of wine that are good enough to require dedicated storage you’re also in the demographic that can be fleeced for an extra grand for one that looks a little prettier than the mini fridge that coeds are stacking Bud Lights in on college campuses.

^ this

elasticity, i.e. they know their customer

And we can’t live without glass doors.

Yep to all the above. Having said that my Sub-Zero 45 bottle wine fridge, that was a floor sample, has worked flawlessly for the past 5 years, the quality of the slideout shelving is obvious, and it looks awesome in my renovated kitchen. Worth every penny as far as I’m concerned.

I have been quite happy with my 23-year-old Marvel, which was $500 in 1994. The thermostat went after five years, so the compressor was on too much and blew out. No problems in the 18 years since, and the simple wire racks allow me to stand bottles upright when I want.

But it gurgles, which means it needs a coolant recharge. And I’m sure newer models are much more efficient. So the writing is probably on the wall. But having just shelled out $1,500 for a new refrigerator, it irks me to think of paying $2,000+ for a similar device with one quarter the cubic space and an even smaller fraction of the cooling capacity.

Oh, and you can’t stand bottles upright in the fancy-schmanzy ones with their nice wood trim. I might have to buy a $100 12-bottle unit for that!

Front venting is tougher, or so I have been told.

I got this frigidaire for $55. Yes that’s not a typo. The outside case had a big dent in it during delivery and the customer refused to accept it so I got it for a song.

Niche market. They know if you want it that you probably need it and will be willing to pay for it.

One avenue I’ve been meaning to explore - options marketed to the restaurant business. I would think these would be better built, and from what I can see in the link below, they are cheaper than options from SubZero or other high end consumer brands. For example - several options in the $1k range - all seem to be front venting:

https://www.centralrestaurant.com/Wine+Merchandisers-pl1038.html

Thanks, Mike, there are some other options there – including some 24" wide ones that hold more than 46 bottles.

https://www.target.com/p/whirlpool-40-bottle-4-5-cu-ft-wine-refrigerator-stainless-steel-jc-133ez/-/A-51222854#lnk=sametab

This is similar to that frigidaire one, although not quite $50. I’ve had it for a couple years and it’s been very nice.

This GE model is reasonably priced

One thing I noted here is that most of these do not appear to have tinted glass, either because they’re intended to display the wines or because they’ll be used away from daylight.

Interesting – Target has some other brands. Lots of options here. Thanks.

Good call on that. I’ve applied window tint film before - might be worth the hassle if you find a fridge that’s perfect otherwise.

That one is countertop not built in. Built in is where the price jump comes not tinted glass etc. Not sure why but I think there are two different cooling mechanisms.

I think it’s got something to do with venting out the front. In a stand-alone, you can have coils on the back and no fan, I suppose.

It turns out that many of the very small wine fridges (e.g., 10-20 bottle) use a Peltier or thermoelectric cooling system. I guess that’s why they’re cheap. A fan is the only moving part, as I understand it, and they’re super efficient. Unfortunately, I guess that kind of system can’t be scaled up to larger units.