Wine Refrigerators

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#51 Post by **Jay Miller** » April 20th, 2015, 1:11 pm

The company with the best reputation for customer service is Le Cache.
The company with the worst reputation for customer service is Vinotemp.

I've had a no frills Avanti for the last 18 years that just keeps chugging along. No idea if they are still of the same quality.

#52 Post by **JFPelletier** » April 20th, 2015, 1:20 pm

LeCache is a great company. Top quality and customer service.

I highly recommend it.

JF

J. Schenck · #53 Post by **J. Schenck** » June 15th, 2015, 5:38 pm

for anyone wondering about the KoolR (f/k/a vintage keeper) products, i bought the 500 capacity one. the parts either don't fit together as intended or the holes were mis-drilled. i can't put the cabinet together. my small nyc apartment floor is covered in wine bottles. everywhere. 300 or so bottles. customer service has been a bit less than helpful, but it's only been a day. at this point i'd take a full refund and pay a bit more for either the WE 300-btl or 2 WE 166-btls from Costco. so annoyed.

#54 Post by **Michael Martin** » June 15th, 2015, 5:43 pm

J. Schenck wrote:for anyone wondering about the KoolR (f/k/a vintage keeper) products, i bought the 500 capacity one. the parts either don't fit together as intended or the holes were mis-drilled. i can't put the cabinet together. my small nyc apartment floor is covered in wine bottles. everywhere. 300 or so bottles. customer service has been a bit less than helpful, but it's only been a day. at this point i'd take a full refund and pay a bit more for either the WE 300-btl or 2 WE 166-btls from Costco. so annoyed.

Don't mean to rub it in, but Costco delivers theirs right to your final spot, white glove service.

J. Schenck · #55 Post by **J. Schenck** » July 23rd, 2015, 8:07 pm

update on the KoolR/vintage keeper. for those who don't know, this is basically an IKEA bookshelf type box with an AC unit in it. i used the rubber mallet to basically bend the plastic part into the holes it needed to go in. it didnt ever go in flat, but it's in enough to hold the cabinet together.

it's loud, but it's not in my bedroom. it has needed a small container to catch excess drainage on days the NYC humidity crept in even with AC.

so.... final verdict? if you want to be cheap, it does the job. we have 300 or so bottles and are wine newbies. probably 240 bottles of beer and 60 bottles of wine. a 500 bottle cooler would have been easily double the $1295 we paid for this. it caused us two weeks of sweat, blood, tears, and marital strife that only furniture building can invite. but we're happy now. and our beer and wine is temperature controlled.

Kirk.Grant · #56 Post by **Kirk.Grant** » July 24th, 2015, 4:46 am

[quote="J. Schenck"]For this price range and capacity, any way to go cheaper without dropping way off in quality?

Larger capacity: http://m.costco.com/Wine-Enthusiast-|-G ... 31680.html

With a two year warranty...what do you do when it craps the bed in 4-5 years? It seems much more cost effective to build a wine room in the house if you're a home owner. I can see this being a viable option if you're a renter though.

J. Schenck · #57 Post by **J. Schenck** » July 24th, 2015, 7:14 am

Kirk.Grant wrote:With a two year warranty...what do you do when it craps the bed in 4-5 years? It seems much more cost effective to build a wine room in the house if you're a home owner. I can see this being a viable option if you're a renter though.

i live in a small 1 bedroom apartment in a third floor walk up

#58 Post by **Michael Martin** » July 24th, 2015, 7:53 am

Kirk.Grant wrote:
J. Schenck wrote:For this price range and capacity, any way to go cheaper without dropping way off in quality?

Larger capacity: http://m.costco.com/Wine-Enthusiast-|-G ... 31680.html

With a two year warranty...what do you do when it craps the bed in 4-5 years? It seems much more cost effective to build a wine room in the house if you're a home owner. I can see this being a viable option if you're a renter though.

What do you do when your refrigerator goes out? You call a repair man.

Mike.Young · #59 Post by **Mike.Young** » August 3rd, 2015, 6:56 pm

I just nabbed a EuroCave compact for $100 off of Craigslist. It is in good working order. It runs cool and quiet. I keep my house apartment in the low 70s more or less year long, so it should last a while,. THe price was right, even if It dies in a year or two, I can just move my cigar stock out of the Marine cooler and into this.

I am pretty new to the hobby. The size works well for me at the moment. But maybe in another year I will be ready to move up to something bigger.

monty thiessen · #60 Post by **monty thiessen** » November 15th, 2015, 10:31 am

I have Avallon AWC540SZ 54-Bottle Single Zone Built-In Wine Cooler and I love it. This 54 bottle wine cooler from Avallon is definitely one for the serious wine collectors. A large capacity obviously means you’re planning on storing a large collection of wine bottles, but you get more than just large capacity with this cooler.

Featuring a contemporary design with stainless steel trimming, this cooler will fit in well with most interiors. An LED light which lights up your bottles through the clear glass adds some class to the room it’s located in.

A very powerful compression based cooling mechanism is enhanced some air circulation fans to chill your wines at 40-65F. I read great and informational reviews about it on http://www.winecoolery.com/best-built-i ... r-reviews/ and it was very helpful for my decision .

William Mighty · #61 Post by **William Mighty** » September 3rd, 2018, 8:22 am

I apologize for bump this old thread, but I would like to share my experience in this matter, since when I was looking for good advice on this topic for myself.
In my opinion, I would go with the freezerless fridge. It is more expensive (I imagine) and you will need a temperature controller, but the wine fridge just doesn't work as well. Nor do they last as long.

When I first bought a storage system I went with a small wine fridge. It is totally dependent on ambient air temperature. In the summer it could not hold the desired temp. Unless you have somewhere cool to store it, plan on it not keeping your bottles at 54 degrees. In addition, my circuit board burned out after four years in my wine fridge. It wasn't a huge deal as I ordered a replacement and installed myself. But most standard fridges/freezers will last longer.

By the way, you might want to consider an upright freezer. They are typically less expensive than freezerless fridges. I have one that I love. I know people worry about their beer freezing, but if you use the digital temp controller, and set it to fail in the off position, you don't have much to worry about. I have lost power three times since I bought my freezer https://coolerexp.com/best-beverage-cooler-review/ and each time the temp controller returned to 54 when the power came back online.
Currently, it's getting close to being full with around 130+ (bombers, one magnum, 500 ml bottles, cans, etc.) but there's still room left and the shelves can be arranged as needed. The top shelf was cut off but can probably hold ~50 cans on their side.

Troy Stark · #62 Post by **Troy Stark** » October 13th, 2018, 3:48 pm

monty thiessen wrote: ↑
November 15th, 2015, 10:31 am
I have Avallon AWC540SZ 54-Bottle Single Zone Built-In Wine Cooler and I love it. This 54 bottle wine cooler from Avallon is definitely one for the serious wine collectors. A large capacity obviously means you’re planning on storing a large collection of wine bottles, but you get more than just large capacity with this cooler.

Featuring a contemporary design with stainless steel trimming, this cooler will fit in well with most interiors. An LED light which lights up your bottles through the clear glass adds some class to the room it’s located in.

A very powerful compression based cooling mechanism is enhanced some air circulation fans to chill your wines at 40-65F. I read great and informational reviews about it on http://www.winecoolery.com/best-built-i ... r-reviews/ and it was very helpful for my decision .

Well, this is clearly some marketing post masquerading as an informative review, but I will bump this really old thread to say that we have a small Avallon wine cooler (the 15") and love it. The shelf spacing is a little tight, but otherwise the unit is a champ.

Anyone have experience with the larger Avallon coolers? The pricing is really good and we're considering buying two 151-btl units.

#63 Post by **Brian Tuite** » October 14th, 2018, 6:31 am

Going on year 12 with my 3 Home Depot Vissani/Magic Chef 50+ bottle units. Gave one of them to my step-son about 4 years ago and he reports it’s still working fine. These have been a huge value.

Bought a used/dead VinoTemp oak veneer cabinet on the cheap off Craigslist and added a new CellarPro cooling unit. It holds close to 400 bottles when I stack the top shelf properly. All-in for under $2k.

#64 Post by **Michael Martin** » October 14th, 2018, 7:13 am

Brian Tuite wrote: ↑
October 14th, 2018, 6:31 am
Going on year 12 with my 3 Home Depot Vissani/Magic Chef 50+ bottle units. Gave one of them to my step-son about 4 years ago and he reports it’s still working fine. These have been a huge value.

Bought a used/dead VinoTemp oak veneer cabinet on the cheap off Craigslist and added a new CellarPro cooling unit. It holds close to 400 bottles when I stack the top shelf properly. All-in for under $2k.

I still have my Home Depot Magic Chef one too, going on year 8 I think. My Costco one is performing well too. Even survived a move.

Jim Brennan · #65 Post by **Jim Brennan** » October 14th, 2018, 7:17 am

Just don't buy anything that has a Breezaire in it. I had a rotten experience in the past where they wouldn't stand behind their warranty for the sole reason that the cabinet manufacturer (Vinocraft) went out of business in the 4 years between my buying the cabinet and the cooling issue. Despite the fact that I purchased through a major wine retailer (KLWines) and not directly from the manufacturer, and a year was left on the warranty, Breezaire refused to provide service. In their favor, KL tried to resolve and even offered to sell me another unit at cost. IMO Breezaire has subpar quality and isnt ethical. I wouldn't recommend buying anything with their coolers.

#66 Post by **Brian Tuite** » October 14th, 2018, 7:23 am

Jim Brennan wrote: ↑
October 14th, 2018, 7:17 am
Just don't buy anything that has a Breezaire in it. I had a rotten experience in the past where they wouldn't stand behind their warranty for the sole reason that the cabinet manufacturer (Vinocraft) went out of business in the 4 years between my buying the cabinet and the cooling issue. Despite the fact that I purchased through a major wine retailer (KLWines) and not directly from the manufacturer, and a year was left on the warranty, Breezaire refused to provide service. In their favor, KL tried to resolve and even offered to sell me another unit at cost. IMO Breezaire has subpar quality and isnt ethical. I wouldn't recommend buying anything with their coolers.

That’s what was in the dead unit I bought.

#67 Post by **Brian Tuite** » October 14th, 2018, 7:25 am

Michael Martin wrote: ↑
October 14th, 2018, 7:13 am

Brian Tuite wrote: ↑
October 14th, 2018, 6:31 am
Going on year 12 with my 3 Home Depot Vissani/Magic Chef 50+ bottle units. Gave one of them to my step-son about 4 years ago and he reports it’s still working fine. These have been a huge value.

Bought a used/dead VinoTemp oak veneer cabinet on the cheap off Craigslist and added a new CellarPro cooling unit. It holds close to 400 bottles when I stack the top shelf properly. All-in for under $2k.
I still have my Home Depot Magic Chef one too, going on year 8 I think. My Costco one is performing well too. Even survived a move.

And they look nice in the house too.

Jeff P · #68 Post by **Jeff P** » March 4th, 2019, 2:30 pm

Brian Tuite wrote: ↑
October 14th, 2018, 6:31 am
Going on year 12 with my 3 Home Depot Vissani/Magic Chef 50+ bottle units. Gave one of them to my step-son about 4 years ago and he reports it’s still working fine. These have been a huge value.

Bought a used/dead VinoTemp oak veneer cabinet on the cheap off Craigslist and added a new CellarPro cooling unit. It holds close to 400 bottles when I stack the top shelf properly. All-in for under $2k.

Looking at doing something similar... if you don't mind me asking, what exactly did you buy?

#69 Post by **Steve L Gellman** » March 4th, 2019, 3:01 pm

Thinking of buying a Le Cache after my current off site storage bill!

#70 Post by **Brian Tuite** » March 4th, 2019, 6:05 pm

Jeff P wrote: ↑
March 4th, 2019, 2:30 pm

Brian Tuite wrote: ↑
October 14th, 2018, 6:31 am
Going on year 12 with my 3 Home Depot Vissani/Magic Chef 50+ bottle units. Gave one of them to my step-son about 4 years ago and he reports it’s still working fine. These have been a huge value.

Bought a used/dead VinoTemp oak veneer cabinet on the cheap off Craigslist and added a new CellarPro cooling unit. It holds close to 400 bottles when I stack the top shelf properly. All-in for under $2k.
Looking at doing something similar... if you don't mind me asking, what exactly did you buy?

viewtopic.php?p=2156699#p2156699

Jeff P · #71 Post by **Jeff P** » March 5th, 2019, 6:53 am

Brian Tuite wrote: ↑
March 4th, 2019, 6:05 pm

Jeff P wrote: ↑
March 4th, 2019, 2:30 pm

Brian Tuite wrote: ↑
October 14th, 2018, 6:31 am
Going on year 12 with my 3 Home Depot Vissani/Magic Chef 50+ bottle units. Gave one of them to my step-son about 4 years ago and he reports it’s still working fine. These have been a huge value.

Bought a used/dead VinoTemp oak veneer cabinet on the cheap off Craigslist and added a new CellarPro cooling unit. It holds close to 400 bottles when I stack the top shelf properly. All-in for under $2k.
Looking at doing something similar... if you don't mind me asking, what exactly did you buy?
viewtopic.php?p=2156699#p2156699

Thanks for sharing

Kirk.Grant · #72 Post by **Kirk.Grant** » March 5th, 2019, 2:09 pm

j. rosen wrote: ↑
February 4th, 2011, 2:28 pm
Does anybody have a suggestion for a good wine refrigerator / cooler to store 50+ bottles at home?

My suggestion would be to buy one that's 3-4x the size of what you think you'll need. So aim for one that holds 200+ you'll be much happier in the long run. Unless this is for an office then my suggestion would be to just go to Home Depot and buy their 38 bottle cooler. Mine cost me $400 and lasted about a decade.

William Anzalone · #73 Post by **William Anzalone** » March 11th, 2019, 8:10 am

I just purchased a Le Cache 3800. I'm awaiting delivery sometime next week (takes 3-4 weeks to get to the East Coast). I have a smaller Eurocave that realistically holds 100 bottles, which I will now be setting up for larger format bottles and Champagne. It has 2 areas where I can store bottles upright. I purchased the Le Cache because of posts I've read on WB, the price for storage of 400+ bottles and other reviews I found online.

I've never used a display shelf/cradle, as all of my bottles in the past were racked (except champagne that I stand upright).

My question is, can a display cradle be used for a bottle that is intended for long term storage if the wine is in contact with the cork but doesn't hit every spot of the cork? I'm interested in displaying only a few bottles but they would be my "trophy" bottles that I don't intend on drinking anytime soon.

I'm not sure this post/question is appropriate for this thread but I thought that may be the answers could help someone else looking for a new form of storage fridge/cabinet as well.

Thanks

Dave Sankaran · #74 Post by **Dave Sankaran** » April 11th, 2019, 2:43 pm

Randy Smith wrote: ↑
February 14th, 2011, 12:04 pm
If you are diligent, some very good deals can be found on craigslist.

Yup. But then there is the "location" and shipping limitations to consider. I've had a Vinotheque on CL for a week with only 1 local inquiry. Its a steal and I've listed it here.

Its a ~350 bottle cooler for 25 bottle cooler price

viewtopic.php?f=7&t=160017

nealc · #75 Post by **nealc** » September 2nd, 2019, 2:00 pm

William Mighty wrote: ↑
September 3rd, 2018, 8:22 am
I apologize for bump this old thread, but I would like to share my experience in this matter, since when I was looking for good advice on this topic for myself.
In my opinion, I would go with the freezerless fridge. It is more expensive (I imagine) and you will need a temperature controller, but the wine fridge just doesn't work as well. Nor do they last as long.

...

Completely agree... I have took an old freezer chest and a temperature controller .. could buy my rig from Craigslist for probably $100.. stores probably 10 cases, more if you take the bottles out. Super cheap reliable and stable temperature