But how well could they chill wine? Consumer Reports¡Ç Bernie Deitrick measured the temperature at nine different places.
Not all wine chillers had a consistent temperature throughout.
When all the tests were done, two built-ins came out on top. The Sub Zero, just over 2000 dollars, adjusts to the precise wine temperature you want, no problem. And with two compartments, you can chill two types of wine at once.
A GE monogram for 1500 dollars also rated very good overall. It holds up to 52 bottles of wine and, while it only has one compartment, a big plus is that it's very quiet.
And, If you are considering getting a freestanding wine refrigerator, consumer reports says Kenmore model number 1432 is a good buy. It holds 30 bottles of wine, has very good temperature control, and costs 300 dollars.
$474 Avanti WC5100BG 54 Bottle Built-in Wine Captain with Electronic Display $356 Avanti WC602D 52 Bottle Wine Refrigerator $569 Avanti WCR5104DZD 46 Bottle Dual Zone Wine Cooler $261 Danby DWC044BLP Millennium 40 Bottle Designer Wine Cooler $895 EuroCave Compact 50 Built-In Wine Cellar (1-Temp) (Maple - Solid Door) $1145 EuroCave Compact 50 Built-In Wine Cellar (1-Temp) (Maple - Glass Door) $995 EuroCave Premier 100 Wine Cellar (1-Temp) (Black - Solid Door) 42"H x 26"W x 27-¼"D $1294 EuroCave Premier 100 Wine Cellar (1-Temp) (Black - Glass Door) 42"H x 26"W x 27-¼"D $649 Vinotemp Black 54-Bottle Wine Cellar $400 Sanyo SR-4705 47-Bottle Wine Cooler
WC5100BG WC602D
x Built-in or freestanding
x x One Touch Dual Functioning Electronic Display For Monitoring Temperature (C/Fº)
x x One touch digital control for red, white and sparkling wine.
x x One Touch On/Off Interior Cavity Light Control
x Decorative Counter Top
54 bottle capacity (Bottle capacities are approximate and will vary depending upon bottle shape.)
Electronic Temperature Controls
x x Reversible Door Hinge
x x One touch digital control for red, white and sparkling wine.
Dual function electronic display for monitoring temperature.
Reversible tempered double-glass door.
x x Auto defrost
Slide-out wooden shelves
Reversible tempered double-glass door
Built-in Fan
Built-in Handle
x x Security Lock
Eurocave
http://www.wineenthusiast.com / Eurocave
Size: 42"H x 26"W x 27-¼"D
$995 EuroCave Premier 100 Wine Cellar (1-Temp) (Black - Solid Door) $200 Shipping $419 EuroCave Standard Pack - 6 Rolling Shelves & Charcoal Filter $399 EuroCave Rolling Shelves (Set of 6) $79 EuroCave Rolling Shelf (Performance & Comfort Series)
Vinotemp
Vinotemp VT 50-GNV 5500 Top-rated, built-in GE and Sub-Zero both adjust to desired temperatures with aplomb. The one-compartment, stainlesssteel- edged GE stores 52 standard bottles and is very quiet. The 46-bottle Sub-Zero has two compartments-a plus. But it's noisy and not energy-efficient.
The one-compartment Vinotemp, judged good overall, holds 60 bottles. lt's excellent for long-term storage.
VinoTemp makes some of the best values in wine units. Costco seems to have the best prices on them so,if you're near one, check them out. I'm not familiar with the Kenmores, but (at least in the past) Sears usually has their products made by leading manufacturers in the industry, so they should be OK.
Vinotemp reviews in amazon.com -- middle and lower sections had
temperatures 10 deg lower (~45 deg F), flimsy contruction - bottle went
through rack. All reviews were negative with a rating of 1/5 stars for
a total of 12 user reviews.
Avanti WC5100BG
pricegrabber: This is a good compact, frost free refrigerator. It has an very visable
temperature display making it very easy to control the inside temperature.However, it is a
little difficult to redistribute the shelving since the shelf stops have to be unscrewed and relocated.
Danby DWC044BLP
This cooler fits 36 standard 750ml bottles. The bottom 2 shelves are half the depth of the cabinet so you can
fit 3 bottles on each. When they say multi-zone they aren't kidding. I set the temperature for 55 degrees.
It is 55 degrees on the 5th shelf with 2 degree differences going up; 57 on the 4th, 59 on the third, up to
63 on the top shelf. This is a good thing in my case because I can store different reds at their 'ideal'
serving temperatures and store whites on the bottom where it is around 52 degrees. The display fluctuates
between 53 and 58 but the internal temperatures are consistent.
One thing I've noticed is that when I introduce warm bottles to the cooler, the compressor gets red hot
when it is working toward the set temp. I haven't seen any ill effects from this yet but I'm concerned
about long term effects. It is worth noting that the compressor is warrantied for 5 years and I do keep
the cooler full to capacity. Overall, I'm very satisfied with this cooler because I do like to keep a
variety of wines on hand and the multi zones work for me.
Sanyo
Very poor shipping packaging considering its weight and delicate panel finish. Received two units,
the second having worse damage than the first.
GE Monogram Wine Reserve ZDWT240PBS