“Wine Enthusiast” is a wine magazine that also has a website featuring select wine accessories, including the Wine Enthusiast 272031805 18-bottle wine fridge. This is a dual-zone cooler, so you can chill more than one type of wine at a time with each zone programed for a different temperature. You can set the temperature between 46 degrees and 66 degrees Fahrenheit to cater to a variety of white and red wines.
The door of this wine fridge has glass on the top, so you can see some of the bottles you have stored; however, the lower part of the fridge isn’t made of glass. The digital controls and thermostat are situated in the middle of the door, between the two chill zones. This model also doesn’t have a locking door, so it isn’t as good at keeping young children out as models that do lock. If this is a feature you’d like to have, check out our review of the Avanti EWC1201. It is single-zone cooler, but it includes a locking door.
This Wine Enthusiast cooler is the tallest model we looked at and is part of the Slimline collection. It stands over 37 inches high, more than 3 feet, so it would work best standing on the floor instead of on a countertop. The black finish and modern digital display give it a sleek look, and the wine racks are made of metal and can be removed to accommodate taller or wider bottles. It gives you a lot of storage options, since there are shelves both for storing wine bottles on their side and upright.
Because it is a freestanding model, this Wine Enthusiast isn’t meant to be installed inside a cabinet or under a counter. This is because of the thermoelectric cooling system, which requires adequate ventilation space, and treating it as a built-in may void the one-year warranty that comes with it.
Thermoelectric coolers are more environmentally friendly, since they don’t use harmful CFC coolants, and they require less energy to run. One downside, however, of the Wine Enthusiast cooler is that it doesn’t comply with California’s energy efficiency standards, so it isn’t available to purchase in (or ship to) California. For more information you can check out the guidelines on the California Energy Commission website.
For the price, this is a good introductory wine fridge that can adequately cool a small collection of white and red wines.
