I’m looking to buy a wine fridge, not that I have a big collection, or a big connoisseur, however with summer not too far away I thought I might invest in a wine fridge. My daughter’s fiancé has a great wine fridge; however he also has a magnificent collection.

Currently have around sixty bottles of Red plus a few whites, and was wondering if those cheap ones that Kmart sell (Mistral brand) are a worthwhile investment.

I’m not looking to take out another mortgage on the house for one of these.

Drink it don't store it

I’m looking to buy a wine fridge, not that I have a big collection, or a big connoisseur, however with summer not too far away I thought I might invest in a wine fridge. My daughter’s fiancé has a great wine fridge; however he also has a magnificent collection.

Currently have around sixty bottles of Red plus a few whites, and was wondering if those cheap ones that Kmart sell (Mistral brand) are a worthwhile investment.

I’m not looking to take out another mortgage on the house for one of these.[/b]

I keep my wine collection in one, but it is a large sophisticated one.

Several things to look out for.

1. Glass is bad - UV light and light in general is bad for wine. Glass fronted fridges are designed for bars and shops, not cellaring.

2. You can't just use a fridge. Vibration is bad for wine and so good wine cabinets don't have a compressor/ moving parts temperature control.

3. Zoned wine cabinets actually just reflect poor temperature profiling

4. Humidity control is important as well and is not really a feature of lower priced units, so I suspect that you won't be cellaring for 20 years.

The Mistral is a compressor unit so steer clear. In the same price range look at the Dome at Target, I think they do a 60 bottle one. At worst, you have an insulated box - if you wanted to do it on the cheap, line your cupboard with polystyrene.

I’m trying 56oval, just can’t drink that fast….

Thanks Mr G, okay then I’m not going to waste my money on the cheap Mistral unit, can I get a reasonable one for around say $1k? Or do I need to spend a heap more?

For me I’d rather invest in something reliable and of reasonable quality without going over board. I'll check out the Target unit.

I’m trying 56oval, just can’t drink that fast….

Thanks Mr G, okay then I’m not going to waste my money on the cheap Mistral unit, can I get a reasonable one for around say $1k? Or do I need to spend a heap more?

For me I’d rather invest in something reliable and of reasonable quality without going over board. I'll check out the Target unit.[/b]

You should be able to get a thermoelectric unit (=no compressor) for well under a grand and I have heard good reports on the Domes. Then you jump to several k, but they are much bigger units (mine takes 18 cases).

Have a look at this article for an overview on cellaring etc

You should be able to get a thermoelectric unit (=no compressor) for well under a grand and I have heard good reports on the Domes. Then you jump to several k, but they are much bigger units (mine takes 18 cases).

Have a look at this article for an overview on cellaring etc[/b]

Thanks Mr G.

Seems as if Mr_Gimlet is a connoisseur of everything and a bit of an authority on hifi, coffee machines, cooking, good restaurants in melbourne, aquariums ... and (little did I know) ... wine cellars!

Mr. Mint it's a pity that you have already built your house otherwise it would be very nice to have an underground wine cellar. A friend of mine had an older-style house which was built on a raised limestone foundation. We got access under the house and started digging with a shovel then lined it with concrete slabs. Very ghetto but it worked pretty well!

FWIW my sister's husband has a large collection of very expensive reds. He puts them in a Vintec wine cellar. I have a cheap Samsung one which I bought for $500. I only use it for keeping whites cool before I guzzle them.

We have Liebherr fridge and freezer which are excellent and they also make wine fridges in many versions. They are not cheap however but are one of the best (along with Transtherm-Vintec, and Eurocave).

Liebherr Wine Fridges

A few years ago I built a double brick cellar in my shed. It's not perfect, although nothing an industrial cool room refrigeration unit wouldn't fix. It is pretty good though and it keeps the temperatures fairly stable. One of the things which happens when you collect wine is that the collection increases much like record collections do, new bottles just keep appearing. You may find if you buy a wine fridge that you fill it very quickly, then you need another, and another . . .

Personally I prefer a cellar, if you can get under your house that would be perfect but we can't always do that (hence the shed).

DS

Personally I prefer a cellar, if you can get under your house that would be perfect but we can't always do that (hence the shed).[/b]

If you can get under your house, you should be building an IB :biggrin:

IB's and wine storage probably don't play nice together though.

The space under my house is semi dug out and is currently being used as a cellar by my father-in-law to store his home made vino (....hmmm.... pass.) but with a bit of a cleanup and some decent lighting it would make a very good wine cellar.

The other problem I have is getting whites to the right drinking temp. In the fridge is too cold and room temp is too warm. I don't drink a lot of white, but then again, if i had it at the right temp, maybe I would drink more. Do the wine fridges you are looking at have a decent temp setting?

If you can get under your house, you should be building an IB :biggrin:[/b]

I like your style glennb hehehe :biggrin:

PS I got stuck under a bearer for 20mins under my house, running cables to the IB hole from the back of the room. Too much spongey pud methinks for this poobear. :blush:

I’m looking to buy a wine fridge, not that I have a big collection, or a big connoisseur, however with summer not too far away I thought I might invest in a wine fridge. My daughter’s fiancé has a great wine fridge; however he also has a magnificent collection.

Currently have around sixty bottles of Red plus a few whites, and was wondering if those cheap ones that Kmart sell (Mistral brand) are a worthwhile investment.

I’m not looking to take out another mortgage on the house for one of these.

Forget about cellaring cheap reds, particularly those with screw caps. Cheap usually = drink now.

FWIW I have a dedicated cool room with climate control that stores about 1000 bottles and I also have a cheap 36 bottle wine fridge. I have been able to compare the two storage methods and > 10 years there's very little difference between them. The fridge is a compressor type with a tinted glass door but it's located in a fairly dark area. I recently sampled some E&E Black Pepper Shiraz, vintages 1996, 1998, and 2001, which were all purchased at release and put immediately into storage. Those stored in the fridge were every bit as good as those from the cellar, and let me tell you, they were stunning.

Ditto with a few Ileen Hardy 95's and Wynns Michael 1998's.

The biggest risk for fridge storage is an extended power outage during mid summer. You only need a week of elevated temperature and the collection will be stuffed. If you go that route then invest in a small generator - just to be on the safe side.

I have the model that preceded this one http://www.kitchenerwinecabinets.com.au/product.asp?ID=8, and have not had a problem with it. Kitchener is an Australian company which was a factor for me as was their value for money.

As has been stated before, you will find that you will eventually reach capacity of the small (and larger) units so I do as AV suggests and keep the cheap ready to drink stuff out of the cellar.

The biggest factors to aim for when cellaring:

Constant temp. Opinion varies on the ideal temp but 12-15 degrees will suit just about everything. No, red and white wines do not need to be cellared at different temps

Constant humidity: Above 70% is ideal +/- 10% is OK. Too low and corks dry out leading to premature oxidation and too high encourages mould development that could penetrate the cork and affect the wine

Lack of UV radiation: UV causes nasty chemical reactions with compounds found in wine

Lack of vibration: not as important as those listed above but tannins will settle easier if bottles are left to rest peacefully.

Ability to store wine horizontally

Basically the opposite of all cellars consisting of upright standing bottles in kitchens across the country :-)

Edited November 25, 201114 yr by Jone5y

I use Vintecs for my wine, been pretty good so far. Also have a couple of the cheap Dome/Prima ones which are thermo. Problem with them is they will usually only keep a set temp below ambient. So if it is 35C inside they will be say 24C, if it is 25C inside they'll be about 15C. Ok in the cooler climates but not if you are in an area of extreme heat. If you have screwcaps you don't have to worry about humidity and laying them down.

Also the cheap ones are usually setup for bordeaux bottles so burgundy ones tend to end up all label scraped on the shelves as they are too narrow. And the cheap ones tend to have noisy fans.

Forget about cellaring cheap reds, particularly those with screw caps. Cheap usually = drink now.

But there is nothing like a nice aged Wynns Coonawarra, Tahbilk CabSav or Marsanne, Mt Pleasant Elizabeth Semillon all cheap and cheerful but reward good callaring of up to 15 years.

[quote=Spearmint; was wondering if those cheap ones that Kmart sell (Mistral brand) are a worthwhile investment.

I’m not looking to take out another mortgage on the house for one of these.

I've had one of these for five years or so, and find they work fine for my needs.

WOW, this thread is over 4years old

My dearly betrothed ended up buying a Wine Fridge

These days the wines tend to cycle through it although I've run out of storage in it

This is what she bought me, a Vintec unit

Any recent experience with wine fridges? Which ones are reliable and relatively silent? Looking at Kitchener, in particular. Also considering Vintec (made in PRC), Delonghi (PRC) and Liebherr (Malaysia).

A few years on and my kitchener mentioned earlier in the thread is still going well. If i was buying now i would look at their Peltier designs though. This looks nice too http://www.spiralcellars.co.uk/australia/ ;-)

I had a few bottles spoil due to incorrect storage, so spent about $350 for a 50 bottle Stirling fridge about 12 months ago.  I've been extremely happy with the results, just keep it in the shed next to the beer fridge, no spoiling or issues to report -

 

http://www.stirlingappliances.com.au/product-categories/fridge/50-bottle-wine-fridge.html

A few years on and my kitchener mentioned earlier in the thread is still going well. If i was buying now i would look at their Peltier designs though. 

 

Why would you go for a Peltier design today? Is it the noise or vibration caused by the compressor? I guess the Peltier models are still Aussie made, not too sure about the lower range models. I sent them an email to enquire about this. They mention on their web page that they are a producer and importer of wine fridges. I will visit Kitchener and have a chat with them, they are just around the corner from my place.

 

I found it slightly worrying to read that Kitchener refuses to sell any of their products to Choice for a review. Also, they only offer 1 year of warranty, compared to 3 years for the competitors made in China. Therefore I am happy to hear that your fridge is still going strong.

 

This looks nice too http://www.spiralcellars.co.uk/australia/ ;-)

 

I am afraid, I don't have the space and budget for such a solution… but very nice indeed. 

Why would you go for a Peltier design today?

When I purchased mine i wasn't anywhere near the financial position required to consider them (i can at least look at them now) and yes, the lack of compressor appeals to me. Noise isn't an issue for me where my cabinet is located.

 

I found it slightly worrying to read that Kitchener refuses to sell any of their products to Choice for a review.

I've read a few choice reviews across varying topics and haven't ever agreed with their outcomes, assessment criteria can be interesting to say the least. Ferrari don't give their cars out for comparison tests either...

Just for future reference: I now have the confirmation that only the Kitchener Peltier range is made down under. Everything else is imported. Probably will go for a Liebherr WKB4112.

Howdy - looking to get a fridge, circa 60 bottles. Has anything changed in the past 4 years? anyone have any good or bad experiences with them?

Kitchener Wine Cabinets have gone insolvent.

https://insolvencynotices.asic.gov.au/browsesearch-notices/notice-details/KITCHENER-WINE-CABINETS-PTY-LTD-060593428/a57a9205-d7d1-44a5-afcd-acdd43f52210