Opaline wrote:I have a 50 bottle Liebherr that I paid around $2500 for in 2007 & also have a 170 bottle Vintec one I paid $3500 for in around 2011. The Vintec has broken down twice whereas the Liebherr has never missed a beat. I highly recommend spending the extra money to get a good single temperature fridge.
Thanks a lot Opaline for your advice. I live in Canada, in Ontario (for the story ) and I would like to begin my cellar. I made some search on the website of my local store where I buy my appliances http://www.goemans.com/gmen/appliances/refrigerators/wine-coolers.html but they have too much choice.
I would like to buy a 48 bottles Electrolux Icon model E24WC50QS but I would like to have your opinion about this brand and this model. The price is good and the design too, but I don't understand all the features of the product. For exemple, what is Frost-Free Performance? Dynamic Condenser PureAdvantage Air Filtration? Is there any features that I absolutely checked?
Just looking for some recent opinions of a couple fridges. Seems people have been pretty happy with the Kitchener Levanter range but does anyone have any experience with the Chatelet range? I'm looking at the 204 bottle fridge but I am a little put off by the $600 delivery to Sydney. I'm also considering a Liebherr 195 bottle single zone fridge. There are some decent deals around and I think I saw somewhere they have 3 years warranty, which I like. But I am not sure about it not having telescopic shelves. Actually I'm not sure if the Kitchener has them either? Is this annoying to access wines at the back or is it not really an issue?
Does anybody have any other recommendations for a fridge with a capacity of around 200 bottles and less than $3000 delivered?
Just looking for some recent opinions of a couple fridges. Seems people have been pretty happy with the Kitchener Levanter range but does anyone have any experience with the Chatelet range? I'm looking at the 204 bottle fridge but I am a little put off by the $600 delivery to Sydney. I'm also considering a Liebherr 195 bottle single zone fridge. There are some decent deals around and I think I saw somewhere they have 3 years warranty, which I like. But I am not sure about it not having telescopic shelves. Actually I'm not sure if the Kitchener has them either? Is this annoying to access wines at the back or is it not really an issue?
Does anybody have any other recommendations for a fridge with a capacity of around 200 bottles and less than $3000 delivered?
Cheers!
I recently bought a factory second Levanter which holds just over 100 bottles. Many bottles do not fit in the sliding shelves, even relatively standard rhone-style bottles stick or don't fit at all on those shelves. The unit is also louder than expected. Considering replacing it.
As an aside, I was a happy Kitchener customer for years with a Peltier 430 (industrial looking but affordable bulk storage).
How old was the factory second? Was it a current model? Kitchener seems a bit hit and miss from what I have read. Some people really happy with theirs and others disappointed. I don't have the space for a Peltier and it will be in the living area so it needs to be visually inoffensive. Probably leaning towards a Liebherr at the moment.
Pej wrote:How old was the factory second? Was it a current model? Kitchener seems a bit hit and miss from what I have read. Some people really happy with theirs and others disappointed.
I am not 100% sure, I can say that the model is no longer for sale on the Kitchener website however.
Hunter wrote:I need to switch a Vintec 120 off 12 months. Would this do any damage to the unit after having it running for such a long time than a year off ?
Not sure whether it would be the same for a wine fridge, but with a normal fridge there's a high chance of mould growing.
Has anyone had any experience with Grand Cru wine fridges? I think they are Australian company and the prices are good compared to the Vintec but not sure where they are made.
I have had a grand cru 55 bottle fridge for 5
Years with no issues...
I keep a vast majority of my cellar in offsite and just stock the fridge with ready to drink bottles or stuff I want close by..
I can’t complain, the value for money is outstanding, looks good and sturdy shelves... only criticism would be that the shelves don’t move as smoothly as I would like but for the level of interaction it isn’t an issue!
I have two Grand Cru 320 fridges which are essentially the same as the 640D. The only problem is the top shelves can get a little warm in summer. When the cabinet is set to 14 C, the bottom shelf is maintained at 14 but the top shelf can go as high as 20 C with the middle shelves somewhere in between. I know of two others with the same fridge who have a similar problem.
Given they don't mention where they are made on their website, you can probably assume they're made overseas, but I'm disappointed many of the wine fridges only come with a 2 year warranty on what is both a very expensive item that should last 10 years plus and an item that can be very expensive to repair, if it's even repairable at all. I suppose there is the consumer guarantee at play but seems to show a lack of confidence in their product. Yes 3 years here on the Pro models, but at a big premium price too.
It never fails to amaze me how much sales margin must be put on wine fridges, yes you have humidity control, stricter temp control, maybe dual zone and vibration insulation but overall they're much simpler (no ice makers, water dispenser, freezer etc) and certainly not two or three times more expensive to produce than a normal fridge! Niche market I suppose, minimal competition, ah well.
Still, as far as the wine fridge options go, they seem to have a good range of models across various price points, sometimes much better than the competition.
redstuff, you can think about modding a small computer fan into the cabinet blowing down from the top, this evens out the temperature nicely. Does mean a thin cable very slightly breaking the seal (unless you get creative) but it works.
Tigger - I tried a couple of 5V USB fans hooked into a USB hub in various spots in the cabinet but didn't have much luck. Where did you position it? Right at the back of the top?
I have mine at the top front left, stuck on as far forward as possible to get some airflow down inside the front door. At the back could work, but might be too full of bottles to reach down much. Also some USB fans are awful and move almost no air. I'm using an Antec 120mm PC fan, running about 7V.
Liebherr - My fridge of choice is the Liebherr 312 bottle mentioned earlier on this thread. Can get somewhere between 275-300+ bottles in depending on shapes / use of space. My first has been perfect for about 6-7 years (no problems) and just bought a second as I needed more storage. Also, about as good as you can get value in terms of $ / bottle purchase price and also $ / bottle running costs as very efficient. Not pretty as brown and box like with solid front door - but that doesn't bother me at all.
Vintec - my best mate has two Vintec's holding about 150 bottles each. They each cost about the same as one of my Liebherrs (twice the cost per bottle) and he has had to get repairs done to both within a couple of years of buying each... Not convincing me although he could have been unlucky. His definitely look prettier than mine and are good for display with glass fronts.
Kitchener - Kitchener Wine Cabinets Australia now insolvent as at 15 September 2017 and website down / no longer being sold new that I can find. Lots of mixed reviews online with reliability issues / not keeping bottles cold. Suggest you be very careful about getting a second hand Kitchener as there is no warranty / support for any issues if they've gone bankrupt. (https://insolvencynotices.asic.gov.au/browse ... dd43f52210)
I've never really understood the point of a dual-temperature fridge, as they seem to serve different purposes - ageing red, and keeping white at serving temperature (which isn't particularly good for it anyway). What do you actually want the fridge to do?
Anyway, after I move to Aus in Dec, and have a house to settle into (hopefully March / April), plan A is to find a property where a wine-room / cellar can be installed without too much fuss. Plan B (and the far more likely scenario!) is to find myself a decent wine fridge with some solid volume, probably combined with an off-site solution.
I've always understood EuroCave to be more or less the benchmark in terms of quality, if your aim is to store quality wine for the long term (i.e. 2 years+), and Liebherr a very close second. Some of it will depend on where the fridge ends up, as the EuroCave options aren't the prettiest, but ultimately most of my wine is for the long haul. I've heard reasonable reports on Transtherm cabinets, but Kitchener is totally new to me.
For me, a lot will depend on the service options available, so if anyone has any tips for people to speak to / stockists in the Sydney area, I'd appreciate it!
I must say I am having a bit of a problem getting my head around the price of some of these fridges, I think I will go with the Grand Cru as It seems to be better suited to my budget at $1500 for the 94 bottle size. Most of my small collection doesn't last much past a year or so as I cant wait to drink it and justify buying some more.
I remember checking out a Liebherr at the Wynns Cellar door. It looked very well made to me. A touch above my vintec. The newer Vintecs Ive seen in the local Droogie McTavish do look nice though. My vinny performs pretty well. It can touch 15-16 in the very hot months for a few days but generally its pretty darn consistent across the year. 13 degrees seems to be the winning number though. Aussie Chards pulled straight and served always taste bang on the money. The prices do seem inflated for a lot of wine fridges but considerng the value of the vino that's stored within I think it's a small price to pay. As for dual zone? Definitely a gimick I think. No need.
There's a fine line between fishing and just standing on the shore like an idiot.
After some research me and my friend bought a Kitchener Chatete 178 each around 4 years ago. Unfortunately we both needed the controller unit replaced like every year (the temperature would keep creeping up). While they sent a replacement with no charge every time it was a annoying process. Just now our controller unit has gone bust again but the company has gone bust too so I guess theres no more replacement. It may have just been a bad batch but for anyone looking to pick up a used one/factory second for cheap my suggestion is to look elsewhere.
) and I would like to begin my cellar. I made some search on the website of my local store where I buy my appliances http://www.goemans.com/gmen/appliances/refrigerators/wine-coolers.html but they have too much choice.
