Yep, we learned the hard way. Now debating if its worth the price to fix…
No way the wine is bad at 84 degrees. I have a passive cellar, hall closet really, in southern California and it gets over 80 all the time in the summer. No problem
Vinotemp? Yes, they are the worst company on the planet
Out of curiosity, what is the temperature range you get in that closet cellar? The coolest passive place I have in my house is under the bed in the bedroom away from direct sun but even then I’m too paranoid to ever store any wine there in the summer. I’m in the hot San Gabriel Valley.
For reference: I live in Mission Viejo so it can get hot. And… my wife doesn’t use the air conditioner. Ever. No true, when it gets over 100 then I’ll pop it on for a few hours. I really need a whole house fan but I digress…
Closet is smack in the center of the house at the end of a narrow secluded hallway with a bathroom. It’s definitely the coolest place in the house because there’s never direct sunlight and there’s a stone floor on the concrete slab. Winters, don’t use the heater either… But it never gets below 50 in the house or I’ll put the fireplace on.
i have a thermostat right next to the closet so I see the temperature all the time, it’ll be above 75 for months at a time like in August and September. I’ll check on it tonight and report back in.
I don’t store stuff longer than about 10-12 years, I have some California cab in there from 05 but that’s the older IIRC.
I think, no I know, that people think wine is way more delicate than it really is. Look at all the wine shops that aren’t 58 degrees, why aren’t all those bottles bad?
Brig - I am hoping you are right. A friend is lending us his Coravin to test out some of our other bottles.
Thanks. I’ve wondered about that last question you posed, when people find a “treasure” at a wine shop, something that has been sitting there for a long time. The shop is a lot warmer than cellar temp, yet so often the reports are of how good the wine was. Or shops that have a lot of wines on display right by a window that gets sun during the day.
79 in the cellar today.
Just know that it would be VERY difficult to ever sell that wine. I’m sure you don’t ever intend to sell it, but circumstances change and sometimes liquidating the wine is necessary.
Not a lot there to sell. Now we know why Brig doesn’t need to post in the cellar reduction thread.
One of my best friends keeps his 800 bottle side by side Eurocave in his garage in Eldorado NM. Garage has a swamp cooler but it still gets hot in there. He’s had them in there for 10 years without issue. A Vinotemp, however dies in an air conditioned house. Stay away from Vinotemp.
Thank you for all of the Excellent help
I am convinced, I am purchasing EUROCAVE,
I just need to make a decision on the unit, size and vendor…
everyone has been a great help…
I cannot thank everyone enough
After 38 years in a home I’m back to a high rise apartment, so I have to calculate all of those logistics.
I was surprised when I learned that the unit does not have wheels. I thought I had read the units do have wheels so I’ve been picturing I can move it around.
I learned that is not so.
William,
Whatever you are thinking, get one size bigger !
That is the usual recommendations from all of us here !
Best of luck.
I have 3 Eurocaves (6’ X 3’ X3’ , one is a “Confort Duo”)) plus a 60 bottle under counter U-line in kitchen and a walk-in refrigerated cellar underground.
The Confort Duo (2 zone) is an expensive one, but I purchased it from a gentleman that had to give up wine for $1800. The others I bought new 10+ years ago.The U-line has been working well for 25+ years.
I find that line of thinking beyond my ability, less than a 5 minute drive from my home is my office/warehouse. WE have over 10,000 cases stored there and I do not feel permanent in my mind about my living space and any plans beyond when I would no longer be in my business. Till the day would come that I would stop being involved with my business… Then my life would change so sharply…
Just loaded a new ArteVino III last weekend (Costco purchase) and, per other’s comments on here, it doesn’t hold 200 bottles as configured from the factory. I was able to get ~175 in there with all of the original shelving in. This coming weekend I will probably remove two or three of the shelves to be able to accomodate piles of three high per shelf- effectively 30 bottles each. Hoping that will get me closer to the 200. Not too much of a problem fitting larger cab bottles, just had to use the front or back as burgundy shaped bottles to fit on a flat shelf - that said, once I remove the single-layer shelving this could be a moot point. Now the only problem is where other other 150 bottles plus fall allocations are going to go ![[scratch.gif]](/uploads/db3686/original/2X/4/42a16863a8714da3c1604419e3eb9206bb87aa50.gif "scratch"){kind=small}
Also, the wooden pins to prevent shelves from pulling too far out are definitely not optimal, as also mentioned by others. I am not sure what the process to remove the shelves or relocating them to different heights will look like.
According to what I have learned via people on this thread, ArteVino is … the way it has been explained to me, (I apologize for offence if there is any),
EUROCAVE produces a line of wine storage units compared to LEXUS or the other lines under their name are like Toyota, the ArteVino brands are the TOYOTA, which I’m certain is very good.
Or the EUROCAVE is the Lexus, if I am mistaken then please correct me.
This is exactly the spot I am at this morning, wishing I can purchase EUROCAVE at COSTCO, but they do not sell that product.
The Artevino appears to be considerably lower in price than the EUROCAVE.
Hopefully a knowledgeable person will set this straight or concur.
Wg
No offense taken. My unit is in the basement, so no need to show off a “Lexus”. Happy, as you suggest, with a Toyota that will run for 200,000 miles before giving up the ghost. On a price per bottle basis, I figure the $12 per for the ArteVino is pretty decent value for my particular collection.
sounds good, I’m a very poor shopper, so frequently I purchase the wrong car and often end up with the wrong electronic equipment.
I’m curious about the ArteVino III; clearly it’s much more affordable, but if the only difference is that it’s a Toyota, I’m fine with that.
It would be interesting to be in a showroom with someone knowledgeable and have the 2 units in front of me and have the opportunity to examine each. From the comments I’ve collected and what I can gather from my overall sense - I thought that I want a unit that is quiet, reliable and problem free. I purchased a EUROCAVE Premier M unit - which I have been led to believe will fit about 160 bottles. And will perform problem free.
Leonard, my Artevino III was just delivered theee weeks ago, so can’t opine on longevity. That said, it is very quiet, has maintained consistent temps and is reasonably well constructed.
After adjusting the shelving a bit (and removing two shelves completely) I have been able to shoehorn about 195 bottles in there - including a mix of tapered bdx, large burg and tall bdx shaped bottles, a couple cases much larger than average. They are layered two and three high where some on the second and third layers lean against the sidewalls - so will have to exercise great caution opening the two and three layer shelves - but they are in there and resting comfortably for the long haul.
IRO temps, I believe the thermostat may need calibrating as my Netatmo sensor is reading 60 while the unit is set at 55. Difference aside, it is maintaining a consistent 60. Not a big deal to me, I will just adjust the unit to get a trus temp I’m happy with.
As others have noted, the back wall is what chills the unit, so you’ll want to ensure that no bottles are touching the back wall directly. Also, the wooden pins are a pain both to install and then to remove to adjust shelves.
But… not sure whether the higher wnd model suffer from some of these same shortcomings as well. For what I need the unit for (aging, some for the long haul) it works for me and is pretty economical. Wouldn’t heaitate to get a second unit.
The Costco delivery service was good. They managed to get the unit sown a very narrow and ateep staircase with only inches on either side. No complaints there either.
Good luck!