Posted by
opus445086 on 02/28/2002 at 19:30 PST
in
General
Last Reader Comment on 04/26/2006 at 13:08 PST
My wife and I are just getting started with our collection and we need to get something to store our wines. We have a basement, but I fear it will be too hot in the summer. Adding a cooling system and converting the basement into a wine cellar is a little beyond our means. We were considering a "mini" wine cellar -- the small (50-100 bottle) units that have built in cooling systems and humidifiers. Are there any units that anyone can recommend? I should add that since the unit will go in our unfinished basement, appearance is not a concern.
( 32 Reader Comments 32 New Comments ) |
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First off, get one much larger than you think you will need. Your wine collection will last your lifetime and will only get bigger, not smaller. I've maxed out my wine cellar. I don't have any room to expand. So I'll probably have to buy a second cellar in a year or so.
The IWA catalog (that comes with the WineSpectator) has several. Keep in mind you have to pay for shipping, which is pretty expensive for larger frig units. If you live in the California Bay Area, Vinotech is located in San Jose.
Fellow Bottlecount user gratton mentioned the site www.thewineestablishment.com to me just this week, I think they sell wine refrigerators.
You might try calling local restaurant supply stores or appliance stores too. Anything to avoid paying shipping.
Bryn
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I just purchased a Eurocave. It seemed to get very good reviews and had good reliability. It wasn't cheap, but it should do the trick. Wine Enthusiast has a deal that includes free shipping on Eurocaves until April 15. That made it a little more palatable.
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Free shipping is a big deal. IWA wanted $300 to ship from San Jose, CA to Sunnyvale, CA. For those who don't live in the area, that is about a 15 minute drive!
I opted to rent a truck and pick it up myself.
Opus445086, how many bottles will your cellar hold? Hopefully more than 48!
Bryn
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The cellar will hold 172 bottles if only 3 shelves are used and somewhere around 130 bottles if the maximum number of shelves (9 or 10) are used. That should be big enough for us for now.
The free shipping was a nice deal. Wine Enthusiast handled the delivery itself. I guess their delivery service works exclusively for them (or so they say). They brought the cellar in and set it up, even installing the feet and the charcoal filter. They knew what they were talking about and were able to answer some of my questions. It was not like dealing with some third party moving company.
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Nice.
I was in your shoes about 2 years ago when I bought my cellar. It holds roughly 180 bottles. Now its just about packed and I'm wishing I'd gotten the 400 bottle model like vinnie did.
Don't forget to label the rows and columns so you can record the location of your wine in BottleCount. You'd be supprised how hard it is to find a particular bottle when you're looking for it.
Bryn
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Greg 11/13/2002 at 14:42 PST [Reply]
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I have a slight problem that perhaps you can help me with! I was recently given an older model VinoTech wine refrigerator that holds 400+ bottles. The refrigeration unit is very noisy and I would like to either get it fixed or replace with a newer, quieter one -- the original refrigeration unit was made by a "Nordicorp,Inc", that is/was located in San Carlos, CA. When I call their number, it is no longer in operation (650-592-1818) Does anyone know if they have moved or are out of business? If the latter, what is the number to VinoTech so that I may call them to see who now makes their refrigeration units? I heard VinoTech was in San Jose, but there is no listed number with the operator. Can anyone help me?
Thank you for your time!!!
Sincerely,
Greg Mislick, Monterey, CA
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Jim 07/18/2003 at 13:19 PST [Reply]
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Vinotech is in Modesto California now
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Shawn Shears 07/22/2003 at 08:00 PST [Reply]
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Vino Tech is actually located in Stockton California. The owner of the company is Tom Schneider. When you call him tell him I referred you. He will be more than happy to assist you.
Shawn Shears
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k lucas 09/01/2005 at 13:01 PST [Reply]
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I have am having a huge problem with Vinoteque (I have their QT-500 model). Do you know how I can get in touch DIRECTLY with Tom Shneider there. His customer service dept. keeps putting me off.
Thank you.
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troy bunnell 07/12/2005 at 09:56 PST [Reply]
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hi greg i see this is an old message but i have the same issue you did, did you find a quieter unit i want one also
tb
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Karen 12/13/2005 at 08:04 PST [Reply]
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Hi Greg: Although I'm finding your request 3 years later, we too have problems with our system. We finally stopped using it 2 years ago. I would be very interested if you have suggestions as to a replacement? Many thank, Karen
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I use a Vinotemp wine cellar which is excellent. I bought it directly from the factory and then saw the exact same unit at Costco several months later for $100 less than what I paid. Oh well.
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Stephen Brown 04/25/2003 at 13:03 PST [Reply]
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As many have already stated, smaller wine cellars are very limiting - though inexpensive. However, if you have even a small area in your basement, you could build a small wine cellar and buy the $500 wine cooling unit and the cheaper redwood racking from IWA. This would probably cost you about $1000 +/-. Not cheap but worth the expense and potential increase in home value. I completed my cellar in my CT walkout basement and am very satisfied with the outcome, particularly the room for growth. If you have time, check out a website called Stratsplace. Their Pictures and descriptions of personal wine cellars are very instructive. My cellar is listed there and includes a lot of how-to info. Good luck!
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damondd 06/11/2003 at 17:00 PST [Reply]
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Has anyone had experience with the Koolspace cellars offered by IWA? In addition to cellar funcionality/reliability I'm concerned about noise.
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I own a Koolspace. No more noise than kitchen fridge. Had a problem with compressor a number of years ago and cooling unit was replace at no cost. No problem since.
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My first wine fridge was from Marvel (50 bottle capacity). After about 9 months I had problems with the thermostat and contacted the company for a new part. For some reason they couldn't ship it to California. I got frustrated and gave the fridge away. The next one I purchased from Lowe's (oddly enough) and the brand name is Haier. It was less expensive than the Marvel (42 bottle cap.) and has been running great for nearly 3 years. I liked it so much that I purchased another one just like it. Unfortunately, they're both full. =)
If you're confident about your building skills there was an excellent series of programs on the DIY channel about a guy who built his own cellar in his basement. There is info on the DIY website about the show, just search "wine cellar".
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D. Ryan 01/11/2004 at 21:24 PST [Reply]
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I recently heard about Marin Wine Vaults, a commercial wine storage facility in Marin County, with rental temperature controlled vaults available in sizes from a few cases to 2000+ bottles. Is anyone aware of similar storage facilities in the San Jose area?
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I don't live in California, but wouldn't off-site storage be expensive as well as something of a hassle? At least it seems that way to me...
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Dolce 04/14/2004 at 20:12 PST [Reply]
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Just wanted to pass along the name of a VinoTech authorized service company that I have used in the past. Tom's Appliance. They are EXCELLENT and deal only in VinoTech, Sub-Zero, Scotsman and WOLF appliances. www.TomsAppliance.com They list three different phone numbers:
(408) 292-2604, (650) 326-2010, and(831) 726-1077.
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i bought a 60 bottle vinotemp unit recently. it was a "scratched and dented" sale...just a small dent on the top and since it can be used as an undercounter built-in setup that hardly matters($175 + 99 s/h)!
i was told that the Huge refrigerators can have problem due to the weight of the bottles when full. also if there is a problem it is a hassle to send back a 180+ bottle fridge and leave all your wine sitting out for the time being. Also the cooling unit is on the bottom which leaves any excess moisture to drip down on top of the electrical parts(water + electricity= not good!)
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I don't have a cellar yet but an idea I am dying to try is buying an old kitchen fridge and modifying the thermostat so it sits at the right temp. Has anyone tried this?
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Hi Markbr,
I have had the same idea, getting a used fridge and turning the thermostat up to around 50F - 55F. The issue is, what about humidity? There is no way to control the humidity in the fridge. That is what the expensive home cellar manufacturers will tell you. Now is that really a big problem? or are they just wanting your big $$$$$? I don't know the answer.
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The only thing that I can think of that MAY be a probelm is the cork. And the more I think about it, the better this idea becomes! Great Idea! Thanks! Im doing it!!!
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newbie 04/12/2005 at 07:44 PST [Reply]
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I'm a newbie with this, but want to build up on my collection (which is like 30 bottles right now) of moderately priced wines (mostly reds).
Saw a black vinotemp 60 bottle count on Home Depot's web site on sale at $290 w/free shipping. Is this a good deal to start? I heard some negative comments on Vino temp cust service and cooling stability. Any thoughts?
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I just bought a Magic Chef 52-bottle wine cooler at Home Depot for $149.00. I tried to talk my wife into getting something bigger, but she countered that then we would have to fill it up, then we would have to drink it all, and we should wait a couple years till we're in a better position to buy bigger, and have a bigger house ( in a condo now ) to put it in.
The Magic Chef unit is cheap, very little frills, but it's very quiet, occationaly coo-ing like a pigeon, but pretty stable on temperature, with a range from 39F - 65F.
Makes a decent starter unit, recommended by acquaintences of mine, who've much larger collections than I.
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For the posters asking about creating wine cellar out of an old fridge, I have a friend who did it; believe he replaced the tempurature control, but other than that, don't know the details; will try to find out.
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I've been having recurring problems with a malfunctioning temperature sensor in my Vinotemp VT-200. Vinotemp requires that you return the whole unit (300 pounds - can you imagine the shipping costs) and the place I bought it wanted $300 to pick it up. Does anyone know anything about repairing the temperature sensor?
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linda 09/12/2005 at 00:46 PST [Reply]
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My house comes with an under the counter subzero wine storage unit in the family room where the nice stereo system was built for movie watching purpose. The subzero makes so much ventilation noises constantly that interfere with the movie watching experience. Has any one experienced this before? How could we change the installation of the subzero so that the noise will not come into the living room. Ideas? Or, is there a quieter unit to purchase?
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linda 09/12/2005 at 00:50 PST [Reply]
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kim 11/29/2005 at 20:23 PST [Reply]
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I am looking to buy a wine cooler-just starting out with a collection and looking at the Marvel, GE Mongram and VinoTemp. Heard mixed reviews on the VinoTemp, does anyone have any feedback or input on the other two brands? Noise is a huge issue, seeing as we live in a loft.
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Jason 12/22/2005 at 10:45 PST [Reply]
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I just purchased a VinoTemp 180D stainless built in cooler from Costco. Before purchasing, I called VinoTemp and was told that the noise should not be an issue. After having the 300+ lb monster delivered, I was shocked with how loud the unit is. A quick call to VinoTemp left me frustrated: the tech service rep informed me that yes, the cooler is loud... much louder than a fridge. complete 180 from my previous conversation with VinoTemp. Now I'm scrambling to figure out how to get Costco to come pick up the unit. Wish I hadn't made this purchase, and am now looking for an alternative. Any thoughts on a good looking, QUIET, 150+ unit with build-in capabilities would be appreciated.
And stay away from VinoTemp if you want a quiet unit.
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Anthony 04/26/2006 at 13:08 PST [Reply]
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I recently purchased a Transtherm (similar to Eurocave) and so far it works great.
Mine has all sliding shelves and so the bottle capacity is redice to about 186 bottles and, like others have said, get a larger one than you need. Mine is already full.
I purchased mine from The Beverage Factory. Good luck
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