Wine Refrigerators

[J. Cohen]

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.

Second Le Cache customer service. Phenomenal.

[A.Khanna]

Anyone have experience with this WE fridge available at Costco on sale at the moment?
https://www.costco.com/wine-enthusiast- ... 78590.html

I have been searching for a 300+ bottle fridge at a decent price point and would love to get a few suggestions.

Thanks for looking around. I just ordered this one. 300 bottles for less than $7 per bottle plus electricity. I just got tired of the Craigslist grind and I like the idea of white glove delivery.

You are welcome. Let me know so that I can get one for myself

[Barry T]

I think I pretty much figured out the answer to my question (some time ago). At this point I don't plan on keeping any wine any longer than 4-5 years so my GE Monogram Wine Cooler should be just fine, I think. I've lost some storage space due to adjusting the shelving. It's maintaining a constant 55f. Right now I don't think I really need to invest in a EuroCave.

[tpetty]

I just ordered an Allavino wine frig. I was very limited in the dimensions that would fit in my bar. We designed a gap in the bar cabinets/counter for a beer kegerator when we built the house. Now replacing that with some wine storage. Went with this, Allavino's newest model and supposedly more quiet and more consistent temps. Only holds 100 bottles, but given my space I was very limited - not only with width but with depth (and still able to get the door open, because it's in a weird angled area.)
https://www.beveragefactory.com/refrige ... ellar.html
Just a $1000. Yep, I'm a high roller.

[Vince L.]

Artevino 3 at Costco is on sale. $200 off till mid May.
Wish I had a place to put it.

[Troy Stark]

We love our Artevino 3s. Maintains temp and humidity perfectly. Compressors are pretty quiet - I have them both in my office and am on the phone all day and the noise never bothers me.

[Vince L.]

We love our Artevino 3s. Maintains temp and humidity perfectly. Compressors are pretty quiet - I have them both in my office and am on the phone all day and the noise never bothers me.

Glad to know; Did you purchase more shelves? I don't like how Costco displays them stacked up 2x-3x per shelf.

[Troy Stark]

We love our Artevino 3s. Maintains temp and humidity perfectly. Compressors are pretty quiet - I have them both in my office and am on the phone all day and the noise never bothers me.

Glad to know; Did you purchase more shelves? I don't like how Costco displays them stacked up 2x-3x per shelf.

Yep we did. You can order them from Wine Enthusiast. They'll know exactly which ones you need.

[Troy Stark]

Also ordered carbon filters from Wine Enthusiast.

[Vince L.]

Thx good to know for when we close on our own place and I convince the wifey to drop $2K on a wine fridge. lol

[Steve L Gellman]

Waiting too see if Le Cache is going to have any type of sale

[Ed L]

Hi Berserkers!

Love the information given on this forum. I found a place on craigslist selling open box/new/maybe damaged wine fridges in fremont/Newerk area. Anybody have experience with buying from these places (has 30+ fridges)?

Practicing safe social distancing, I am going to check them out in person. What are things I should check when buying a fridge? Because these are expensive and cash only, I don't want to buy a faulty product.

thanks for all the help.
-Ed

[Patrick T a y l o r]

Thx good to know for when we close on our own place and I convince the wifey to drop $2K on a wine fridge. lol

Roll it into the mortgage and maybe she'll never find out.

[Alex O]

Hi Berserkers!

Love the information given on this forum. I found a place on craigslist selling open box/new/maybe damaged wine fridges in fremont/Newerk area. Anybody have experience with buying from these places (has 30+ fridges)?

Practicing safe social distancing, I am going to check them out in person. What are things I should check when buying a fridge? Because these are expensive and cash only, I don't want to buy a faulty product.

thanks for all the help.
-Ed

I saw the post as well. I'm skeptical of it. If the units needed simple repairs why wouldn't they repair them and selling them for $1500+

[HoosJustinG]

I was between a Le Cache and a Eurocave to store our more special bottles and complement our Wine Enthusiast brand fridge that does OK but doesn’t control humidity and has a decent amount of variation front to back... about ready to pull the trigger on a $5k ... and then called an audible and decided to pay for offsite professional storage instead.

For one, the offsite locker has a much larger capacity (and ability to grow with my collection). Also, just financially on a per bottle basis, the fridge was going to be WELL out of warranty by the time the break even point hits, so there’s no guarantee it would actually be cheaper at all if a problem arises ... and frankly the possibility of a fridge going rogue and freezing always really bothered me. It still bothers me with the fridge we have, but I’d much rather freeze a $40 bottle than a $400 bottle. Lastly in terms of actual aging, the fridges really haven’t solved the humidity control especially well. The Eurocaves have a built in hydrometer, but the actual humidity management is still DYI ... you can’t just leave town for 3 months without just hoping for the best.

Anyway ... just something to consider.

[Troy Stark]

I poured 1 cup of water in our artevino IIIs when we bought them and the humidity has never gone below 50%.

[Dennis_L]

Hi Berserkers!

Love the information given on this forum. I found a place on craigslist selling open box/new/maybe damaged wine fridges in fremont/Newerk area. Anybody have experience with buying from these places (has 30+ fridges)?

Practicing safe social distancing, I am going to check them out in person. What are things I should check when buying a fridge? Because these are expensive and cash only, I don't want to buy a faulty product.

thanks for all the help.
-Ed

I saw the post as well. I'm skeptical of it. If the units needed simple repairs why wouldn't they repair them and selling them for $1500+

I pulled the trigger on one right before the lockdown.

I threw in a wireless tag to check temp and humidity and it's been super steady to where I've set it and humidity hovering around 56%.

Only thing is some corners of the gasket had a gap. I contacted Eurocave France (HQ) who referred me to their US Distributor Wine Enthusiast tech support. After a bit of the old hair dryer heat up trick the suggested it was fine; in parallel, they also sent me a gasket that I've not yet had to throw on.

Happy with taking the risk and YMMV but certainly would check their stock again I needed a second fridge.

[Alex O]

Hi Berserkers!

Love the information given on this forum. I found a place on craigslist selling open box/new/maybe damaged wine fridges in fremont/Newerk area. Anybody have experience with buying from these places (has 30+ fridges)?

Practicing safe social distancing, I am going to check them out in person. What are things I should check when buying a fridge? Because these are expensive and cash only, I don't want to buy a faulty product.

thanks for all the help.
-Ed

I saw the post as well. I'm skeptical of it. If the units needed simple repairs why wouldn't they repair them and selling them for $1500+

I pulled the trigger on one right before the lockdown.

I threw in a wireless tag to check temp and humidity and it's been super steady to where I've set it and humidity hovering around 56%.

Only thing is some corners of the gasket had a gap. I contacted Eurocave France (HQ) who referred me to their US Distributor Wine Enthusiast tech support. After a bit of the old hair dryer heat up trick the suggested it was fine; in parallel, they also sent me a gasket that I've not yet had to throw on.

Happy with taking the risk and YMMV but certainly would check their stock again I needed a second fridge.

Thats awesome, happy to hear it worked out. Which model were you able to grab? Did they have a as many units as they're advertising?

[Dennis_L]

I saw the post as well. I'm skeptical of it. If the units needed simple repairs why wouldn't they repair them and selling them for $1500+

I pulled the trigger on one right before the lockdown.

I threw in a wireless tag to check temp and humidity and it's been super steady to where I've set it and humidity hovering around 56%.

Only thing is some corners of the gasket had a gap. I contacted Eurocave France (HQ) who referred me to their US Distributor Wine Enthusiast tech support. After a bit of the old hair dryer heat up trick the suggested it was fine; in parallel, they also sent me a gasket that I've not yet had to throw on.

Happy with taking the risk and YMMV but certainly would check their stock again I needed a second fridge.

Thats awesome, happy to hear it worked out. Which model were you able to grab? Did they have a as many units as they're advertising?

a Premiere L.. I just tried to search, didnt see it, maybe they're locked down for SIP? They had quite a few of all the usual suspect brands, but only a handful of Eurocaves. Two others either had IMO pretty significant damage. 1.) the front glass was shattered and held by the film 2.) a crack on the top corner. Guy there was pretty transparent about what's what. Also, they're all plugged in so you could check it out.

[Lonnie F.]

Anyone have experience with this WE fridge available at Costco on sale at the moment?
https://www.costco.com/wine-enthusiast- ... 78590.html

I have been searching for a 300+ bottle fridge at a decent price point and would love to get a few suggestions.

Thanks for looking around. I just ordered this one. 300 bottles for less than $7 per bottle plus electricity. I just got tired of the Craigslist grind and I like the idea of white glove delivery.

You are welcome. Let me know so that I can get one for myself

Akshit,

This was a great purchase for me. Sorry it took so long to get back to you.

Lonnie

[A.Khanna]

That looks great.

[Vince L.]

Wow right next to a bed?

Doesnt the heat dissipate from the rear/sides? Also must be pretty darn quiet.

[Alex O]

Wow right next to a bed?

Doesnt the heat dissipate from the rear/sides? Also must be pretty darn quiet.

Lmao. A more entertaining alternative to "midnight snack"

[Philip Liao]

Waiting on my 1st Eurocave. Should arrive this next week!!

[Max S.]

Thanks for looking around. I just ordered this one. 300 bottles for less than $7 per bottle plus electricity. I just got tired of the Craigslist grind and I like the idea of white glove delivery.

You are welcome. Let me know so that I can get one for myself

Akshit,

This was a great purchase for me. Sorry it took so long to get back to you.

Lonnie

Lonnie, still going strong? I'm trying to decide between that one and the Artevino. Does it maintain humidity levels?

[G. Singh]

You are welcome. Let me know so that I can get one for myself

Akshit,

This was a great purchase for me. Sorry it took so long to get back to you.

Lonnie

Lonnie, still going strong? I'm trying to decide between that one and the Artevino. Does it maintain humidity levels?

Let us know which one you decide to go with. I am in the same boat. Are WE refrigerators made by Eurocave?

[Max S.]

Akshit,

This was a great purchase for me. Sorry it took so long to get back to you.

Lonnie

Lonnie, still going strong? I'm trying to decide between that one and the Artevino. Does it maintain humidity levels?

Let us know which one you decide to go with. I am in the same boat. Are WE refrigerators made by Eurocave?

I'm not sure, but I keep hearing that the Artevino are. From looking around, the general comments are that the Artevino is more trustworthy than the cheaper WineEnthusiast option. I'm inclined to go with Artevino, but I've probably got 6 more months to wait so working on gathering data until then.

[G. Singh]

Lonnie, still going strong? I'm trying to decide between that one and the Artevino. Does it maintain humidity levels?

Let us know which one you decide to go with. I am in the same boat. Are WE refrigerators made by Eurocave?

I'm not sure, but I keep hearing that the Artevino are. From looking around, the general comments are that the Artevino is more trustworthy than the cheaper WineEnthusiast option. I'm inclined to go with Artevino, but I've probably got 6 more months to wait so working on gathering data until then.

Artevino is definitely made by Eurocave (states on the Costco website). I will speak with WE re who makes their brand. I like Artevino too but the WE one is much larger.

[Max S.]

Let us know which one you decide to go with. I am in the same boat. Are WE refrigerators made by Eurocave?

I'm not sure, but I keep hearing that the Artevino are. From looking around, the general comments are that the Artevino is more trustworthy than the cheaper WineEnthusiast option. I'm inclined to go with Artevino, but I've probably got 6 more months to wait so working on gathering data until then.

Artevino is definitely made by Eurocave (states on the Costco website). I will speak with WE re who makes their brand. I like Artevino too but the WE one is much larger.

The size factor definitely keeps me second guessing

[Troy Stark]

I think the bottle capacity of the WE fridge is WAY overstated. Check the interior and exterior dimensions, etc. I get about 12-13 cases into each of my Artevino IIIs (which I outfitted with extra racking that can be purchased from WE). The wines are a mix of Bdx, Burg, Champ and Magnum bottles. Magnums go on the bottle shelf.

[G. Singh]

I think the bottle capacity of the WE fridge is WAY overstated. Check the interior and exterior dimensions, etc. I get about 12-13 cases into each of my Artevino IIIs (which I outfitted with extra racking that can be purchased from WE). The wines are a mix of Bdx, Burg, Champ and Magnum bottles. Magnums go on the bottle shelf.

Agreed - they are all way overstated. Artevino III is rated for 200, WE for 300 bottles. The real capacity is likely 20% less - but WE is still more. Anyway, Costco seems to be out of both of them right now.

[Michael O'Brien]

My personal experience with WE does not involve wine cabinets but it does involve another WE branded product, their Vino-Voyage wine suitcase. Originally, WE sold wine suitcases manufactured by the original designer of the cases (Barry Wax, Line Sales LLC., VinGardeValise). WE sold quite a few of them. Behind the scenes, they apparently found a manufacturer in China that would create a close copy of the original design. Once they had a supply in their warehouse, they stopped selling the products from the original designer and started selling their own private branded wine suitcase. They even advertise it as TSA-Approved. As we all know, the TSA does NOT approve of products. The do require that they be compliant if compliance is an issue as is the case for suitcase locks.

Given my experience, I would not be surprised if WE found another manufacturer most likely in China to closely copy select versions (highest selling) of the Eurocave line that are inferior to the original but advantageous to WE from the perspective of cost and profit margin. Unlike the designer and manufacturer of the original wine suitcase which was launched in 2014; Eurocave is a long-established, globally recognized brand that WE is not likely to stop selling.

When I first saw the WE brand cabinets, I was in the market for another one. My other units are Eurocave. I attempted to find out more about the WE branded product, its manufacturer, reputation, etc. I received no response so I made the wise choice to buy another Eurocave; a brand with which I have had over 20 years experience.

[Mich@el Ch@ng]

I’ve owned two of the smaller WE units both of which died pretty quickly. I won’t buy another.

[Lonnie F.]

You are welcome. Let me know so that I can get one for myself

Akshit,

This was a great purchase for me. Sorry it took so long to get back to you.

Lonnie

Lonnie, still going strong? I'm trying to decide between that one and the Artevino. Does it maintain humidity levels?

Yep. No problem and humidity is steady at 72%

[Max S.]

Well, looks like Costco isn't selling the Artevino anymore... or is just out of stock.

[Alex O]

Well, looks like Costco isn't selling the Artevino anymore... or is just out of stock.

Just saw as well. Wine enthusiast had one recently in their wine cellar outlet. Could be worth taking a look on their occasionally as you can make them an offer.

[Max S.]

Well, looks like Costco isn't selling the Artevino anymore... or is just out of stock.

Just saw as well. Wine enthusiast had one recently in their wine cellar outlet. Could be worth taking a look on their occasionally as you can make them an offer.

I think I'm going to hold out for Costco. Really I just want that no-hassle Costco warranty.

[Lonnie F.]

Wow right next to a bed?

Doesnt the heat dissipate from the rear/sides? Also must be pretty darn quiet.

It's the guest room. Everyone wants to sleep over now!

[Alex O]

I think I'm going to hold out for Costco. Really I just want that no-hassle Costco warranty.

I hear ya. Their warranty is beautiful

[NestorJohnSalazar]

I was looking at the artevino.... but just found a 1 yo Eurocave in CT for sale at a great price if anyone is interested new canaan?
I went the route of CL and found 2 Eurocave compact for 200$ a piece, 18 yo but... they are working great.

I also saw the fridge in ny with the broken glass... fellow accepted my FB offer of 1G...... but I dont think I"ll be able to get there to take advantage of it

[Evan Tunis]

Okay wife has finally given me the okay for a larger wine fridge than what we currently have. Her only condition is it has to be stainless steel. Any recommendations?

[Steve L Gellman]

I was looking at the artevino.... but just found a 1 yo Eurocave in CT for sale at a great price if anyone is interested new canaan?
I went the route of CL and found 2 Eurocave compact for 200$ a piece, 18 yo but... they are working great.

I also saw the fridge in ny with the broken glass... fellow accepted my FB offer of 1G...... but I dont think I"ll be able to get there to take advantage of it

Do you have a link for the one in New Canaan. If your not interested I might be.

[Troy Stark]

Okay wife has finally given me the okay for a larger wine fridge than what we currently have. Her only condition is it has to be stainless steel. Any recommendations?

Evan - we have an Avallon 27 bottle in our kitchen that is Stainless Steel and we absolutely love. Build quality is fantastic. I'd check them out.

[Mich@el Ch@ng]

Okay wife has finally given me the okay for a larger wine fridge than what we currently have. Her only condition is it has to be stainless steel. Any recommendations?

how big?

subzero makes some nice options but they're not inexpensive. We have the undercounter 46 bottle one that came with our house which is wonderful but like 4k.

[Evan Tunis]

I need bigger.. Over 100 bottles if possible.

[Mich@el Ch@ng]

I need bigger.. Over 100 bottles if possible.

they make this one that holds 146 bottles but is a bit pricey.

https://www.subzero-wolf.com/sub-zero/w ... ne-storage

[Evan Tunis]

Its a beauty but way over my budget.

[EAScrog]

It’s great this thread is still active. Now that I have a few cases of de Negoce’ wine coming next month, my storage needs to expand past the inadequate wine jail currently in use.

I’m looking for a wine refrigerator for everyday wines. Since the plan is to drink or cycle wines within 5 years, no long term storage is needed. I’m targeting about $1200.
It needs to store up to about 120 real bottles, and some of them are the larger Pinot Noir sized bottles.

Does anyone have this WE Costco model? https://www.costco.com/.product.100131855.html
Could this go in a garage where the temps might fluctuate from 40 coldest winter to 95 on a few hottest summer days. Or would that make it less reliable?

[Vince L.]

Hi Elisabeth I was looking at that model but I don't think that would fit your needs. The manual states that ambient temp should be 60 - 77.

There's the Vinotemp that states it can be left in Garage but its 300 bottles @ $2,499.

[Toby P]

It’s great this thread is still active. Now that I have a few cases of de Negoce’ wine coming next month, my storage needs to expand past the inadequate wine jail currently in use.

I’m looking for a wine refrigerator for everyday wines. Since the plan is to drink or cycle wines within 5 years, no long term storage is needed. I’m targeting about $1200.
It needs to store up to about 120 real bottles, and some of them are the larger Pinot Noir sized bottles.

Does anyone have this WE Costco model? https://www.costco.com/.product.100131855.html
Could this go in a garage where the temps might fluctuate from 40 coldest winter to 95 on a few hottest summer days. Or would that make it less reliable?

Funny, almost my exact situation, was sizing up that WE fridge on Costco for possible garage usage. Appreciate the feedback Vince, def making me reconsider whether to splurge for the VinoTemp (if it was just the extra bottle capacity was leaning against but other benefits might make it worth it). Seems like some previous threads on WB have indicated VinoTemp is bad with customer service though

Also debating whether to wait and see if they put any of them on sale