picking a wine coolers

Trying to decide on a wine cooler for storage in an unfinished basement. Looking for between 300 and 1000 bottle capacity units. Would like to here the following:
Brand and Model you have?
Pros/Cons
Would you buy it again? If not what would you do?

Thanks

I have a Vinotemp in the garage, several years old. I think it was sold as a "350", but the actual capacity is about 340 bottles unless I stack them up, precariously, at the top. Cost me about $1600.

It has a cooling unit that hasn't broken. It does keep the wine below 60 degrees, even in a Silicon Valley summer (not all that hot). Its excuse for "insulation" is its 1.5" thick particle-board walls. That's a negative. I got one without glass doors or fancy hardware because it was intended to live in the garage.

To buy another storage unit, I'd try to see one and I'd pay extra for one with actual insulation. The websites are no help at all.

I also have that unfinished Vinotemp model, but with greater bottle capacity; got it back in the summer of 1998. The nice thing about having it in the garage, is that it is cool enough in the fall-winter-spring that the chilling unit does not run for many months at a time.

My biggest complaint is the relatively small amount of rack space for oversize bottles (e.g., sparkling wine, Pinot Noir, etc). I ended up building two small racks for 36 additional large bottle slots in the empty space above the top row, alongside the chilling unit.

-- Clark

Do they still make Bartles and James?





Prost!
Bill

I'm not sure where you live, but I have a friend in Buffalo built a cellar in his basement to hold several hundred bottles. Simply made a small, very well insulated room with wine recks. Most of the time he doesn't have to do anything, but during the hotter days of the summer he hangs from the ceiling a few 1-gallon plastic jugs full of ice and changes them out every morning with a separate batch kept in the freezer. He says its never gotten above 65 deg F.

Very new on the subject, but recently purchased a Eurocave 260. While it claims it can hold up to 260 bottles, I was told it will be closer to 200 depending on how many shelves I put in. For my 80 bottle collection, that gives me room to double and still have space left.

I researched several brands, but was sold on the Eurocave based on some reviews I read and speaking with the IWA associate. So far, it's been very good - the temperature appears to vary about 2 degrees between 54 and 56 degrees. It does not have a humidity feature, but I simply put a clean, wet sponge in the bottom of the unit and re-wet it every couple weeks (same time I recharge my cigar humidor).

Don't have much more info than that, but for the 260 bottle range, I found this to be the best for me at the price range I was looking in. There are much more expensive models, and there are cheaper models, but I was told to stay away from the cheaper brands.

Eurocave makes a double unit like mine, so it would be in the mid-500 range. Don't know the pricing, but would advise you call prior to placing an internet order to see if you can get a better deal. My 260 was $3500 after extended warranty, delivery, extra shelving, the works.

Also have a VinoTemp E line.. which is the least expensive and it is in the garage as well.. It is not designed as a piece of furniture for the house.. it is purely utilitarian.. mine is double deep and the racking is 12 x 17.. so holds 408 in the racks and probably another 40 or so on top....

I got all my racking Chard/Burgundy size.. that way you don't scrape the labels off any of those fat bottles, Syrah included. Also, I have big hands, so I couldn't even reach in the regular racking to get to the back bottle in the racks.. so keep that in mind.

I was lucky to be able to get a floor model.. if you talk to them, ask them if they do have any floor models with oversize racking. I also upgraded to the larger cooling unit since we live in So CA and it gets hot in the summer...

To date, and I'm knocking on wood, I have no complaints about the unit. I'm glad to have all my stuff at home and not 10 miles away in a locker.

Here's something similar to the unit I have.. http://www.vinotemp.com/600-e-p-75.html