Wine Enthusiast 18-Bottle Wine Cooler Review

Review of Wine Enthusiast 18-Bottle Wine Cooler

As a wine lover, you are naturally overprotective of your wine collection. That is precisely why it is so difficult nowadays to shop for a wine cooler.

When you go online and look at feedback for various products, you can see that even the slightest error or flaw easily drive users mad. However, we have decided not to give up looking, which is why we are now going to review the Wine Enthusiast 18-bottle wine cooler.

 

Review Summary:

We are excited to review this 18-bottle wine refrigerator from Wine Enthusiast because the manufacturer is known for the amazing quality of their products.

Moreover, this slim wine refrigerator is marketed as environmentally friendly, which is hard to promise when you are in the business of making cooling products. Let us take a look at its hits and misses.

 

Key Features:

  • Thermoelectric cooling
  • Touchscreen display
  • Dual-zone chamber
  • Variable temperature settings
  • CFC-free

Wine Enthusiast 18-Bottle Touchscreen Wine Refrigerator (Slimline - 2-Temp)

Pros:

  • The thermoelectric cooling mechanism is easier on the environment.
  • It looks super stylish.
  • There is space for vertical storage.
  • It is dual-zoned.
  • Both zones have variable temperature controls.

Cons:

  • Dual-zone coolers are more prone to temperature swings than single-zone ones.
  • It is loud for a thermoelectric cooler.


Verdict

The Wine Enthusiast 18-bottle wine cooler is good at what it does, but for some reason, it is loud despite having a thermoelectric cooling system. We recommend it for use in the kitchen, the garage, and any other area that you do not spend a lot of time in.

Check Price On Amazon

 

For Whom It Is The Wine Enthusiast 272 03 02 18?

This 18-bottle wine cooler is for people who are willing to spend an additional $100 for a touchscreen display and are okay with a noisy wine cooler.

The simple explanation behind the first part of that answer is that there are many wine coolers on the market that cost more or less $100 less than this model but have pretty much the same features except the touchscreen display.

Lastly, it is surprisingly loud for a thermoelectric cooler, so go ahead and buy it if you are willing to have a noisy appliance in your living space or are planning to put it in your garage.

 

Specifications and Benefits of the Wine Enthusiast 272 03 02 18

 

Technical Specs

Capacity: 53 L
Voltage: 110 to 120 V
Current: 1.4 A (@ 77F)
Frequency: 60 Hz
Climate Class: SN ; N
Input Power: 100 W (@77F)
Power Consumption: 1.3 KWh/24h
Max Temperature Difference: > 56F
Approx. Net Wt.: 36.4 lbs
Approx. Gross Wt.: 44.1 lbs
Approx. Dimensions (H x W x D): 37.3 x 9.9 x 20 in.

 

CFC-free

CFC stands for chlorofluorocarbon, a class of organic compounds that contain only fluorine, chlorine, and carbon. They are most commonly found in cooling appliances, such as air conditioners and refrigerators.

However, they are one of the major destroyers of the ozone layer, so companies have been working hard to replace it with a better alternative.

 

Thermoelectric cooling

Thermoelectric cooling technology rapidly gained popularity in cooling appliance manufacturing because they eliminate the need for compressors. That means no excessive vibration and loud noises.

There are no complaints about vibration about the Wine Enthusiast wine refrigerator from our end, but this product sure is noisy for some reason.

 

Dual-zone chamber

The great thing about having a dual-zone wine cooler is that you get to keep reds and whites at their ideal storage and serving temperatures all the time.

You can do the same thing with single-zone wine coolers but only with rough estimation. They will never be as precise as dual-zone wine coolers in terms of separate temperatures.

 

Variable temperature setting

You can easily change and monitor the temperature in both zones using the digital touch screen control mechanism and the touchscreen exterior display.

The temperature in the lower zone ranges from 46 to 66 F, whereas the temperature in the upper zone goes from 54 to 66 F.

A few other reminders about the temperature:

Place the wine cooler in an area with an ambient temperature 75F or lower for optimal performance.

The best ambient temperature for achieving the lowest temperature in the lower zone is 60 to 65F.

The temperature may fluctuate as it is affected by the interior light and by the positioning of the bottles.

 

18-bottle capacity

The upper zone can accommodate up to 10 bottles, and the lower zone can hold up to 8 bottles.

Why the uneven division? That is because the upper zone includes a vertical space for storing bottles upright. The lower zone is uniform throughout; 2 bottles per level. The shelves are made of chrome-plated wire and are removable.

Take note, though, that these estimates are for regular Bordeaux bottles. If you have bigger bottles, you may have to remove a shelf to make way for it.

 

Thermopane door

The door is easily one of the best things about this 18-bottle wine cooler from Wine Enthusiast. We think that’s great because when you buy something affordable, you do not want it to show!

The door of this wine fridge is made of reflective Thermopane smoked glass. It has stainless steel trims and a recessed handle. It looks classy and expensive.

Our only gripe about the door, albeit a minor one, is that it is not reversible. It is not too big of a deal, but reversible doors mean the cooler can be placed virtually anywhere without restricting the way you use the wine cooler.

 

FAQs and Additional Tips

  • Before connecting the Wine Enthusiast 18-door wine cooler to a power source for the first time since delivery, let it stand upright for approximately 2 hours first. Delivery handling may have damaged some internal components, and letting it stand for a while before powering on will help avoid malfunctions.
  • The interior of the wine cooler should be cleaned with warm water and a soft cloth. By all means, avoid using steel wool or any other abrasive materials when cleaning it.
  • Do not attempt to install this unit as an under-the-counter wine cooler because this is not designed for such use.
  • Place enough clearance around the back of the unit to let the heat vent to an open area.
  • Do not use a two-pronged adapter or attempt to remove the grounding pin (the third “prong”) as it is a safety feature. Avoid using extension cords as well.
  • This cooler can double as a chiller for other sorts of drinks, but never use it to store perishable food items. The temperature of this unit does not go low enough to prevent spoilage of certain kinds of food.

Final Verdict

We do not have a clear opinion on the Wine Enthusiast 18-bottle wine cooler. We do not want to recommend it because we think you can get the same value for a lower price. However, we do not want to fail it completely because it does cool wine well.

Let’s just say we give it 3.7 out of 5 stars. This wine cooler is not bad; it just isn’t universally good, if that makes sense.

Our final word is: Buy this product if you think a touchscreen display on a wine cooler is worth more or less $100 and if you are okay with a noisy wine cooler. You can find out more about this product here.