does anyone have any comments/experiences on this wine cellar or any other wine cellar from wine enthusiast? I'm thinkin of buying this 18 bottle one but haven't been able to find any reviews. Anyone??
Wine Enthusiast
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Uh......spending $170 for an 18 bottle cooler is kind of like spending $100 on a 2003 Ch. Pape Clement. Pasadena.... 
PH
Small wine fridges bite nards.....
PH
Small wine fridges bite nards.....
Tos- welcome to the forums. Please excuse PH, he's referring to someone he likes to pick on here. Despite that he's trying to make a point.
There's no reason to buy an 18 bottle wine fridge. If you only own 18 bottles there's no reason to keep them in this as I would imagine all your wine is meant to be drunk within a short period (6 months, even a year). If you really mean to collect wine and age it then you should be looking at holding a minimum of 200 or so bottles. I would say that even 200 isn't enough if you're serious, but I could understand an argument for that number.
I don't mean to sound snooty about the whole thing I just think you'd be better off spending your $170 on a few good $50 bottles of wine that you'd drink in the next year or so rather than put the money into a wine fridge that doesn't store enough wine to really stay interested. If you think you want to keep the wine for a long time then hold off, see if you get more interested, and if you do then buy a 500 bottle stand-alone wine fridge. After a while you'll find that 500 isn't enough either (that's my story).
There's no reason to buy an 18 bottle wine fridge. If you only own 18 bottles there's no reason to keep them in this as I would imagine all your wine is meant to be drunk within a short period (6 months, even a year). If you really mean to collect wine and age it then you should be looking at holding a minimum of 200 or so bottles. I would say that even 200 isn't enough if you're serious, but I could understand an argument for that number.
I don't mean to sound snooty about the whole thing I just think you'd be better off spending your $170 on a few good $50 bottles of wine that you'd drink in the next year or so rather than put the money into a wine fridge that doesn't store enough wine to really stay interested. If you think you want to keep the wine for a long time then hold off, see if you get more interested, and if you do then buy a 500 bottle stand-alone wine fridge. After a while you'll find that 500 isn't enough either (that's my story).
well i am definitely a beginner in the wine world, not really looking to become a huge collector, just a couple different bottles to have around the apartment. I honestly could not see myself spending that much money on wine to have 200 bottles and a fridge that would hold all of that..i'm more into casually having a couple of bottles stored away and drinking most of my wine sooner rather than later...anyways, thats where I'm coming from.
quote:not really looking to become a huge collector
If that is the case you need to forget about this place as the nuts here will cause you to spend thousands of dollars in a short time for nothing more the grape juice.
Seriously, if you don't plan on collecting then don't worry about a wine fridge, if however you think this is a hobby you will pick up and like to see grow then take the number of bottles you want to store and double it and then multiply that by 5 then you might have enough space to last for a few years.
I started out thinking that a 50 bottle wine fridge was all I needed, now I am building a house that will have a 1000+ bottle wine cellar and I am only 4 years into this hobby.
Good luck.
What Sean said is correct. Forget the fridge then. The most vital wine accessory (after glasses) is one of those wine sleeves you keep in the freezer. They wrap around a wine bottle and will cool a bottle pretty quickly (useful if your reds are a litte too warm from sitting around), or they maintain the cool temp on the whites. These cost about $10. I have 2 in my freezer. Other than that, go buy a few bottles and drink them when you want to. Don't worry about storage over the short term (6-12 mos).
Buy what you can afford, think of the space that you have, and what type of wines you will place inside the unit. Also, if you wil be drinking them when neeeded, the fridge is a storage place to show yourself and friends that you have started a hobby.
quote:Originally posted by Tos:
does anyone have any comments/experiences on this wine cellar or any other wine cellar from wine enthusiast? I'm thinkin of buying this 18 bottle one but haven't been able to find any reviews. Anyone??
Wine Enthusiast
I picked up a 28 bottle HAIER wine refrigerator several years ago from an online distributor and paid about $235. It fits in the confined space that I had available and it turns out to be one of the best refrigerators I ever purchased.
Checkout this link for reviews, etc. http://www.bizrate.com/winecellars/brand--haier/product...frigerator+wine.html
This proves to me that you don't need to go out and drop $500 for a refrigerator.
Checkout this link for reviews, etc. http://www.bizrate.com/winecellars/brand--haier/product...frigerator+wine.html
This proves to me that you don't need to go out and drop $500 for a refrigerator.
I bought a 32 bottle fridge about a year and a half ago, and although it is now too small, I think it is great to have.
I do enjoy my reds slightly above cellar temp, so even if I don't collect a large number of bottles it still has a benefit. Plus there are bottle in there that have been there since I bought it and will remain until my cellar is built.
I do enjoy my reds slightly above cellar temp, so even if I don't collect a large number of bottles it still has a benefit. Plus there are bottle in there that have been there since I bought it and will remain until my cellar is built.
I bought a 35 bottle Danby at Bestbuy for $199, filled it up in a heart beat, just bought a 102 bottle cooler. I'd recomemnd you buy as big as you can to start, the wine gods will get you and next thing you know you'll need more space.
More free advice that's worth what you paid for it.
Unless you are looking to "age" wines, I see no use for a wine fridge. Especially one this small.
If you like your wine below room temp, like me, put reds in the freezer 10-15 minutes before serving, and whites 25-35 mins.
Unless you are looking to "age" wines, I see no use for a wine fridge. Especially one this small.
If you like your wine below room temp, like me, put reds in the freezer 10-15 minutes before serving, and whites 25-35 mins.
as a response to purple teeth: the use for my wine fridge being that i live in an apartment in new york city so other means of storage are definitely more impractical. I'm just looking to keep some bottles stored in a nice looking unit as a means of storage and also just something nice to have around the apartment for guests and stuff. I would not have regular refrigerator space ( prob 3 bottles max in my regular fridge)and my apartment gets extremely warm, even in winter, due to the damn super blasting heat.
I truly understand. I just scored a 48 bottle Kitchen Aid unit on eBay. I can't wait for it to arrive. It is stainless with 3 zones. Had the older model before Katrina ruined it! But, I will have a chance to re-stock and drink what I like and my unit reminds me that I am a wine enthusiast. Doesn't matter how big it is, but how well it serves"you." Just as "other" things in life. Bigger may not always be better.
quote:Originally posted by Tos:
as a response to purple teeth: the use for my wine fridge being that i live in an apartment in new york city so other means of storage are definitely more impractical. I'm just looking to keep some bottles stored in a nice looking unit as a means of storage and also just something nice to have around the apartment for guests and stuff. I would not have regular refrigerator space ( prob 3 bottles max in my regular fridge)and my apartment gets extremely warm, even in winter, due to the damn super blasting heat.