I’m thinking about buying one. I would like to get something to consolidate all, meaning probably much, of the wine I have talked myself into buying, and out of my not so great “passive” cellar, my basement.
I don’t need a dual zone since I don’t drink much white wine, but bigger is better within reason. It will be in an air conditioned and heated basement, so free standing is fine.
I was originally thinking of something under $2000, but I’ve been looking at the options from Costco, and it seems like $3000 is more realistic for the size I want.
They have a Wine Enthusiast 300 bottle for $2800, and a Vinotemp 300 for $2500. I’m mostly interested in capacity, reliability, and cost. Esthetics are nice, but since it’s in the basement, it’s not a big deal. SAF, (Spousal Annoyance Factor) is, so $3000 is about the limit.
Any experience out there with these or other similar options? Is one brand better than the other? Does Costco ever discount these? Are there other, better places to look?
I’m not in a big rush. When it gets warmer I open the ac vents in the basement. Probably not the best, but decent. I had thought about a real wine cellar in the basement, but it would take up a major storage space and the SAF would be off the charts.
I bought the 300 bottle one from Costco for $1600 delivered to a spot in my basement. It’s not really 300 bottles unless you remove the selves. It’s more like 250. It worked well, but a small plastic washer on the door broke making a tight seal on the door every time we closed it an adventure.
The best cooler we had was a $350 Magic Chef one from Home Depot. It was advertised as holding 50, but actually held more like 52. It went on and on and on.
We now have two Frigidaire coolers holding 50 ish each, They work great. We bulk store in a passive cellar.
I’m still looking. One thing I noticed is that there is no real leader in the ratings. Ignoring the complaints about capacity, lots of complaints about shelves not fitting and compressor issues. The Vinotemp 300 “Garage Cooler” is rated lowest, while the Wine Enthusiast “Giant 300” and the Artevino III 200, are rated the same. Leaning towards the WE for capacity. I’m in the middle of some home improvement projects that are not going really well, so I’m going to wait until those are completed before I do anything. Also, to see if I have any money left.
If my experience has taught me anything, don’t trust the listed bottle capacities. I swear some of them are using 375s to get to those numbers! You’re better off comparing the physical sizes of the units to compare capacities, assuming they’re all lay flat designs.
I own the artevino from Costco, and think it’s fantastic. You can pack it full if you remove shelves and stack bottles, which I do for two of the shelves. The unit is built like a tank, runs quiet, and has a reputation for going decades without issue. There’s also a degree of bad luck with any large refrigeration appliance, so having the Costco return policy here was a major selling point for me personally.
Thanks for that info. Just checked the ceiling height where I want the fridge, and the “Giant 300” is not going to fit. I might reconsider placement, but that would cause other issues. My home improvement project just went up another $4-5K. I think the Costco sale goes to June 4h. Probably going to wait another week, or pass for now and wait for the next Costco sale.
Thanks for the heads up. Costco seems to be running a lot of different sales at the same time. That sale runs until 6/24. Probably what I will get. Seems like a decent model and will fit where I need it to go.
I think the most reliable is one of the Vinotemp options with a separate cooler unit. You can always repair or replace the cooler. I have 2 I got used and have been solid. The one is many years old and should die any day but just keeps on chugging. The all in one units are all made fairly cheaply and often die after just a few years, which is why the reviews are sketchy.
I am by far an expert. From all the reading I did 2+ years ago, it seems like the Eurocaves do last 10-20+ years while others seem to usually fall apart sooner.
Given it is a purchase from Costco and their generous return policy I felt confident. If this thing lasts me 10 years I won’t bring it back to Costco and complain (I am not that guy) but if it falls apart in 2-3 years I’ll certainly go back to Costco and discuss. I know they have gotten tighter at least on paper on their return policy so who knows.
The ones with the separate cooler unit certainly have the appeal though with the expensive but easy to fix option whereas with Eurocaves (and others) its usually too expensive to repair so they become junk.
I don’t think I’ve seen one with a separate cooler. All seem to have a built in compressor, and most of them are using r600 coolant, isobutane. It seems that it’s more difficult and expensive to have them repaired than the ones that run on 134a.
They sell wine cabinets that are basically portable boxes that run the Wine Mate coolers like a normal cellar. Most of them I believe are commercial units like mine. I have a full size one that holds about 700 bottles and a half-height one that is 300ish. They come with different types of racking configurations.
Thanks, I’ll check into those. It might work, depending on the cabinet. I’ve thought about a dedicated cellar, but there is only one place I could build it, and I expect my wife would have issues.
I had one of those and there is a cheap plastic washer at the base of the door hinge. Mine broke, which made closing the door problematic. You had to lift the door up in order for it to close properly.
I guess I could have removed the door and found a replacement washer, but that would have work.
hmm dont think its hard to remove the door at least on my unit as its meant to be reversible to open right to left or left to right. I haven’t tried personally though
