Review of Avanti 30 Bottle Digital Wine Cellar, Model WC1500DSS (price, expensive)

[reviewer]

This affordable wine chiller is designed to be either built-in or freestanding. It fits perfectly in the slot usually reserved for a trash compactor, but its contents are guaranteed to be a lot more interesting. The suggested retail price is under $800, which is on the low end of the price scale for quality wine cellars.

The body of this wine cellar is unexceptional, being plain black. The aesthetics of the unit are all concentrated on the front. The door trim is stainless steel and the shelves are trimmed in wood, conjuring up images of wooden wine casks. This is a nice detail for those who want a wine chiller with some visual distinction from a miniature refrigerator. The tempered glass door is reversible, so that it can open either from the right or left, providing maximum flexibility. Should you care to display your wine collection, energy-saving LED bulbs provide soft interior lighting controlled by a simple on/off switch.

This unit holds up to thirty 750 ml bottles. The shelves are adjustable to accommodate larger sizes. This Avanti wine cellar only has one temperature zone, although there are more expensive models that allow a dual zone, to keep reds and whites at different temperatures. On this model, a one-touch digital control allows you to specify whether the temperature should be set for white, red or sparkling wine and the temperature can be viewed in either Fahrenheit or Celsius. The controls have a locking mechanism to prevent an accidental change in settings. However, if the power is interrupted, the unit will return to the factory default settings and any custom data will have to be re-entered. While this could potentially result in wine kept at the wrong temperature, the situation can be avoided through careful monitoring or by having a backup generator to provide continuous energy in case of power outages. There is no alarm system to alert you in case of a change of temperature. However, a digital temperature display allows you to quickly ascertain the precise temperature of the cellar.

The stainless steel handle is removable, in case a flush mount look is desired. The locking mechanism is not integrated, but requires the use of a key. This model features an interior fan and auto-defrost system. The Avanti is quiet as compared to other brands, and with a quieter motor comes less vibration to the wine.

Overall, this is a handsome unit with a good range of features, and it can be found at a reasonable price.