Built-in wine refrigerator/coolers

[RBFC]

We're looking for a built-in under-counter wine cooler/refrig unit. Anyone have any specific recommendations or comments? The 15" units can replace one of our cabinets perfectly.

Lee

 

[rsbeck]

I don't currently keep my wine in this type of unit because I have a temp controlled wine cellar, but in my previous house, we had an under counter unit that continually gave us problems. I believe it was a U-Line. In my current house, we do however have an under counter refrigerator in the billiard room that we use for soft drinks and beer. My instructions to the interior designer were that the unit had to be quiet, reliable, and good looking. The brand she recommended as the best? Perlick. Here's one for you...

http://www.ajmadison.com/cgi-bin/ajmadison/HP15WS.html?brand_store=1

I've had my Perlick under counter refrigerator for almost three years now and it is much quieter than the U-Line we had at the other house, have had absolutely no problems with it and it keeps our beer and soft drinks at 38º. I wouldn't call it silent because when the compressor is on, you can hear it, but most of the time it is silent and when the compressor is on, the sound level is pretty low and the quality of the sound is relatively pleasant -- no irritating noise. Hope that makes sense. I'm pleased with the Perlick refrigerator. I don't see why their under counter wine refrigerators would be any different from what I am using for soft drinks -- just different racking inside, so I feel safe in recommending Perlick to you.

 

[Steve Williams]

did you compare Perlick to Subzero as the MSRP of each is almost identical.

 

[rsbeck]

I didn't do any comparing. Just went with the interior designer's recommendation. There may be other excellent under counter refrigerators, but I only have experience with U-line and Perlick brands.

 

[Steve Williams]

I must admit that I have never heard of Perlick

 

[rsbeck]

I had never heard of them before, either.

 

[amirm]

I must admit that I have never heard of Perlick

Oh, they are quite famous in appliance circles . Them and U-line own the market practically. Subzero, Kenmore, etc, are all niche players compared to them.

I am surprised their prices are as high as subzero though. These small fridges are ridiculously small and low-tech for their price! In our new house, I refused to spend the money on them and built-in a full-size fridge with french doors. It gives my wife another place to put big items. No, it is not as sexy as a glass-front wine cooler . But I had to think of ROI in at least one place in the house .

 

[rsbeck]

Funny, you went down the exact same road I did. When I saw the prices on these under counter units, I insisted on a full size refrigerator -- same reasoning as you. In the end, though, I had won enough battles in the theater and listening room that when it was decided that a full sized refrigerator wouldn't look as good and "we" were going to go with an under counter, all I could do was stress that it had to be reliable, quiet and good looking. The Perlick meets all of those. My wife puts all of the big pre-party stuff in the wine cellar.

Oh, they are quite famous in appliance circles . Them and U-line own the market practically. Subzero, Kenmore, etc, are all niche players compared to them.

I am surprised their prices are as high as subzero though. These small fridges are ridiculously small and low-tech for their price! In our new house, I refused to spend the money on them and built-in a full-size fridge with french doors. It gives my wife another place to put big items. No, it is not as sexy as a glass-front wine cooler . But I had to think of ROI in at least one place in the house .

 

[rsbeck]

On the other hand, it is my understanding that there is some engineering involved in these under counter units in order to get them to vent properly and quietly.

Some vent properly, but are loud. Some are quiet because they do not vent properly so they are quiet, but unreliable.

Some are loud and still do not vent properly so you get the combo pack -- loud and unreliable.

What you want is a unit that vents both properly and quietly.

The quality of the insulation helps, too. The better the unit at maintaining its temperature, the less strain on the cooling unit and the less often it needs to be on, which also helps keep it both quiet and reliable.

 

[RBFC]

Guys,

Thanks for the comments! We need something in the 15" width category and a bit less than those prices (!), so we will have to look elsewhere for now. Perhaps I'll get to operate on a Saudi prince or something and then things will fall into place......

Lee

 

[rsbeck]

If I could make a suggestion, it would be this;

How about a free standing wine storage unit somewhere else like the garage?

If you did that instead, you'd get more storage for your money.

Then, instead of an under counter refrigerator, just install a wine rack in that spot.

Then, you use the wine rack to keep bottles you want to keep at room temperature for ready drinking while you keep wines you want to age or keep cooler like white wines in your wine storage unit.

The amount of storage you're going to get with a 15" wide unit is going to be minimal and that's a lot of hassle no matter the price for such minimal storage.

But, a 15" W under counter rack is the perfect size for a wine rack in which you can store some bottles that you want to keep handy at room temperature.

 

[chelwi]

I'll be upfront and tell you that I do work for WineCoolerDirect.com, but I thought you might want to look at our site since we carry quality built-in wine coolers that I think might be more in your price range.

Since you are looking for one with 15" width, I would definitely look at this Avanti 30 bottle wine fridge. The wood on the front of the shelves definitely gives it a very classy feel.

Good luck shopping! I hope you find what you're looking for.

 

[RBFC]

Chelwi,

It seems that the reviews are not completely positive from previous customers. A unit that shuts off unexpectedly is a concern, and noise level is also important to many of us in high-end audio circles.

Perhaps you could post some information about how to choose a cooler, what various features are available, and issues with installing them. That would be a great contribution to this forum.

Maybe listing them in a few different price ranges, you could explain why they are values at each cost point and what features you should expect at that cost, etc.

Lee