Forgive me for rehashing a recurring theme. I realize there has been much discussion of the subject of wine refrigeration units. In order to best understand the issue and help other novices, I made an attempt to consolidate as much of the information I could find on the forum. Hopefully, this can help to other novices. I invite the experts to weigh in on important considerations that I may have left out.
As I am considering a new wine cellar/cooler, I’ve plowed through most of the recent posts in the forum. It appears that this can be a bit more complex than just going to the store and buying something that seems good or may be on sale. I have tried to summarize some of the main concerns on the subject.
Reading the past posts, it seems that there is a lot to consider when shopping for a wine cellar/cooler. As I understand it, the main technical considerations are:
1. Vibration 2. Temperature control (and consistency throughout the unit) 3. Humidity 4. Light (reduction of UV light being preferred) 5. Noise (assuming the unit is located inside one’s house) 6. Capacity 7. Features such as multiple temperature settings for white and red… 8. Freestanding or built-in.
As I understand it, vibration can damage the seal on the cork; and low humidly can dry out the cork to where it can crumble. Too much UV light can be harmful to the wine.
Other practical concerns include:
A. Cost B. Size (Just how much room is available for the thing) C. Aesthetics
There were some seemingly good recommendations to help improve the performance of the units. Some good suggestions I’ve seem are:
a. Place the unit on a carpeted surface or on a small rug to reduce vibration. b. Place a dish of water in the unit to provide moisture to help with humidity. c. Put a thermostat inside the unit that remembers and displays the maximum and minimum temperatures. The can preferably be done inside a bottle of water to simulate the actual temperature of the wine.
Two brands that appear well respected are Eurotemp and Vinotemp. However, these are definitely on the expensive side.
It appears that some of the cheaper brands could do more harm than good after about three years.
So the question remains. Which one to buy? First buyers must ask themselves important questions; including, how many bottles will they store, what is their budget, and how long will they keep the wine?
For me, I would like to store at least 50 bottles, my budget is about 600 US$, I need a freestanding quiet unit, and most will be stored for five years or less (with a few special bottles to be kept much longer).
I wonder if putting a cooler in a garage that gets extremely hot in the summer would jeopardize the wine or even the cooler.
It seems the Eurocave is out of my price range. The Vinotemp models within my range seem to be mostly built-ins. Are there any preferred less expensive models that by using the advice of carpet, bowl of water, and regularly monitoring the temperature would suffice?
Any suggestions would be well appreciated.
In addition, any additional considerations to the above lists would be most welcome.
Originally posted by Mashmallow: Hi I recently got my self a 34 bottle wine chiller from VALENTI. You got any veiw on this chiller??
Btw your want to get one of this little toy to go with your wine chiller link
Don't know this one, but if it's like the Avanti I have, it's a nice little unit. Unless you live in the everglades, keep a little dish of water in there to keep the humidity up a bit. Nice tip on the Oregon Scientific unit! Thx,
-B
"You should always read the label, you should always read it well"-Mrs. Featherbottom, AKA Tobias Funke
Posts: 3158 | Location: Naptown | Registered: Nov 24, 2006
The cheapest way to store wine is to get old (new is as good but usually more expensive) normal refridgerator. Wine is not recommended to store in these because of the vibrations but if you remove the machine (which causes vibs) from it you've got the perfect place to store your wines.
At least that's the cheapest way to have fully functioning wine storage. Main problem comes with the ref models because the machines are not always removable. And this "cheap" model is better to place in your garage.
I'm not recommending this but just mentioning it's really possible and widely used in poorer countries here in Scandinavia.
