Ideal Wine Coolers has decided to continue the Danby Super Sale, because customer response has been so positive.   We have selected

additional Danby products to add to the sale with prices slashed on these products by over 20 percent.  The sale has been extended to the last day of March 2010.   Take advantage of these one time savings on quality Danby products.

We also carry other top brands of wine coolers like Haier, EdgeStar and Vinotemp that are priced competitively.

Thank you all so much for investigating what Ideal Wine Coolers has to offer.

Ronald Senn, Vice-president, Ideal Wine Coolers

This month Ideal Wine Coolers is pleased to be offering over 20% off of selected Danby Products.  We will offer these highly reduced prices throughout the month of February 2010.  Danby manufacturers a wine cooler that will have many highly sought after upgrades.  This is your chance to get a top quality wine cooler at reduced prices.  We are also offering one of the most popular beverage centers that can store cans as well as wine.  If you often wanted to serve your visitors a good cold draft, we also have placed one of Danby’s most popular kegcoolers on sale. See our “Monthly Sale Page” at the top of this Blog for more information and product pictures.

We also offer many quality wine cooler products from EdgeStar, Haier and Vinotemp.

Author: Ronald Senn, Vice-president, Ideal Wine Coolers, 2/1/2010

What is the best temperature to serve and store your favorite wines?  I have been asked this question many times.  Trying to be responsive to Blog readers and business clients, I embarked on what turned to be a two-day research project.  What I found is hundreds and hundreds of websites that present information on wine storage and serving temperatures.  As you can imagine, the opinions about temperature facts were all over the board.

Keeping your wine at the correct temperature is critical to maximizing its value and taste.  Wines kept at too high of a temperature will age faster than desired.  Wine stored at too cold of a temperature can develop deposits or other sediments in it.  Each type of wine has its own desirable storage temperature range.  Keep in mind the ideal storage temperature is not always the same as the ideal serving temperature.

Some general information was reasonably consistent from one website to another.  The common refrigerator generally operates at 35 degrees F.  The lighter the wine the cooler it should be served.  The warmest you should serve any wine is 60 to 65 degrees F.  Wine should be stored where humidity is about 70 percent.  If you had to pick one temperature to store wine, store it at 55 degrees F.

Based on website research, the following table represents averages of all the information that was found.  This table for obvious reasons cannot be portrayed as the definitive answer to the best temperatures for storing and serving your wine.  It can be used as a guide for your information and use.  With over 1,000 different types and variations, the wine temperatures evaluated were limited to a few varieties that are more common.

No one can tell you the precise storage or serving temperatures of wine.  The biggest variable to consider is what your own personal tastes tell you.  Having a wine refrigerator to better control the temperatures of your stored wine can help you experiment to find just the right temperatures for your tastes.

For more information and temperature management solutions see: idealwinecoolers.com.

Author: Ronald Senn, Vice-president, Ideal Wine Coolers, Jan/2010

For those of us that really enjoy wine, there is always the question of how best to store it properly.  If your home has lots of space, the options for wine storage are nearly unlimited.  However, in some homes, finding space for a wine cooler to store your best vintages is a challenge.  Many people reside in apartments, condominiums, and other small homes that require a real sensitivity to space-saving opportunities.  There are solutions to this very dilemma by purchasing a countertop wine cooler.

Kitchen countertops usually vary between 24 and 26 inches in depth.  Overhead cabinets in kitchens are usually between 16 and 24 inches above the base cabinet countertop.  Another critical dimension of concern is the width of the product you purchase as it relates to area you have available on your countertop.  Of course, if you have some extra floor space but no countertop space, your small space-saving wine cooler can be placed on a small table.  Again, the dimensions of the wine cooler you purchase are still critical to consider.

Countertop wine coolers are normally 10 to 19 inches wide, 19 to 25 inches deep and 11 to 21 inches in height.  A few “tower” type wine coolers will be 6 to 11 inches wide, 20 to 22 inches deep and 20 to 26 inches in height.

One new product now available is a wall-mounted wine cooler that is 18 inches wide, 19 inches deep and 30 inches tall.  This wall-mounted wine cooler can easily be mounted on any wall where you might have space.

The countertop wine cooler class has a broad array of wine bottle capacities.  Wine coolers are available to store 4, 6, 8, 12, 16 or 17 bottles of your favorite vintages.  Almost all of the wine coolers in this class feature thermoelectric cooling systems that use no compressor chemicals.  Wine cooling results from using thermal coupling technology.  Generally, the only moving part to one of these wine coolers is the fan that circulates the air within the interior of the product.

Most of the countertop wine refrigerators come in classic black.  Several models sport a black cabinet but will have silver, platinum or stainless steel door trim.  There is a wide range of temperature controls, door handles, and shelving styles to fit any body’s needs.

Do not let limited space in your home keep you from investing in a wine cooler that will provide the preferred storage for all your best vintages.  For more information see:  http://idealwinecoolers.com/page/countertop_wine_coolers.html.

Author: Ronald Senn, Vice-President, Ideal Wine Coolers 1/2010

Ideal Wine Cooler’s EdgeStar 30 Bottle Built-in Wine Cooler is designed for either free-standing or undercounter applications. The wine refrigerator comes with a classic black cabinet and stainless steel trimmed glass door and venting grate. You can store either red or white wines, because this wine refrigerator has a temperature range of between 40 degrees F. to 65 degrees F. This premium wine cabinet offers 6 slide-out shelves holding a total of 30 bottles in “reversed rack” style. The digital temperature controls, auto defrost, security lock, blue interior lighting and stainless steel towel bar handle will make owning this wine cooler a real pleasure. The powerful compressor based cooling will keep all your wines stored at just the right temperature. Look no further for superior wine storage.

FEATURES:
* Use in Free-standing or Built-in Applications
* Black Cabinet with Stainless Trimmed Door
* Digital Temperature Controls
* Stainless Steel Trimmed Wood Shelves
* Slide-out Shelf Configuration
* Stainless Towel Bar Style Door Handle
* Door Locks
* Auto Defrost
* Single Temperature Zone
* Blue LED Interior Lighting

CAPACITY:
* 30 Wine Bottles

DIMENSIONS:
* Width 15.0 Inches x Depth 23.25 Inches x Height 32.0 Inches
* Depth Included Door Handle 24.5 Inches

SHIPPING:
* $0.00

WARRANTY:
* 90 Days Labor/1 Year Parts

Check out our selection of free-standing and undercounter wine coolers

All EdgeStar Wine Coolers are shipped free within continental United States.  See our EdgeStar Product Line Today.

Other Edgestar Wine Coolers are pictured below:

16 Bottle Capacity

21 Bottle Capacity

Environmental discussions of late have focused a lot of time on the “global warming” dilemma that we all face.  Of course, local and worldwide politics seems to be taking an ever-increasing role in defining and resolving the impact of global warming on our future.  I do not believe this issue will be resolved in the political arena any time soon, but I do believe we all can do our part in contributing to a preferred result.  My mother always told me “little things always seem to add up to big things”.  One little thing we can do with regard to wine and beverage cooling is the use of thermoelectric technology.

In the 1800’s, a French Scientist named Peltier discovered that when electric current goes through two different metals, (semi-conductors), a temperature difference occurs.  The semi-conductors, working like heat pumps, drive heat from one surface to another.  By adding a circulating fan to the “heat pump” process discovered by Peltier, you could design and build a “thermoelectric wine cooler”.

Thermoelectric cooling technology does not use chlorofluorocarbons like CFCs and HCFCs.  These chemicals are known to be partly responsible for the thinning in the stratosphere of the protective ozone layer.  There are laws now that control the use of these chemicals, but leaks in a cooling system using these chemicals could be a problem.  Additionally, these eco-friendly wine coolers generally are more energy efficient than compressor designed models.

Another advantage of using this cooling technology is these wine refrigerators operate with no noise and are vibration free.  If you have an older refrigerator, you can hear the distinctive hum of a compressor based cooling system.  When compressors kick on and off when needed, there is a vibration naturally attached to that process.  However, some compressor wine cooler models do come with a “damping system” that virtually eliminates the vibration issue.

When storing wines for more than 2 years with the intent of aging them properly, keeping vibration of the wine sediments to a minimum can be critical to success.  For short-term storage (less than 2 years), there is little noticeable difference between compressor and thermoelectric cooling systems.  A good case can be made that a dual zone thermoelectric wine cooler for simultaneously aging red and white wines would be an excellent choice for aging your wine collection.

Thermoelectric wine coolers are not without a major disadvantage that you must be aware of that affects their cooling efficiency.  When the ambient temperature of the room where your wine cooler will be operated exceeds approximately 77 degrees F., the cooling effectiveness of a thermoelectric wine cooler declines.  Additionally, the difference between the ambient room temperature and the “set” cooling temperature should not be higher than about 13 degrees F.  Some people like their homes cool and some like them warmer, but it is a consideration if you opt for a thermoelectric wine refrigerator.  Generally they will operate more efficiently in a home when ambient temperatures are relatively stable and on the cool side of the spectrum.

In the right situation, going eco-friendly with your wine cooler purchase is a good choice for the environment.  At a minimum, this one small choice, when added to other people’s choices, will be a step in the right direction.

For more information on thermoelectric product choices go to:  http://idealwinecoolers.com/page/thermoelectric_wine_coolers.html

Author: Ronald Senn, VP Ideal Wine Coolers, Dec. 2009

Ideal Wine Coolers’ Haier 42 Bottle Wine Cooler is for freestanding applications and includes a locking glass door.  This handsome wine cellar, with soft lighting and silver metal trim, allows you to display your finest wines in style.  The flat glass door has blue-gray tint with a heavy-duty towel bar style brushed metal handle.  This wine cooler is less than 20 inches wide making it slim enough to fit anywhere in your home.  A dual-function LED display monitors your temperature selection and the internal wine cooler temperature at the same time.  Special features include soft interior light, black matte worktop, door lock, and leveling legs. The black interior features sturdy wire metal shelving that will tenderly cradle your best vintages.  This wine cooler would be a classy addition to your home decor.  This wine cooler is one of our better selections in our Locking Wine Cooler category.

Features:

  *Flat Glass Door with Blue-Gray Tint and Graphite Trim
  *Heavy-duty Brushed Medal Handle
  *Adjustable Electronic Thermostat
  *Automatic setting for Red and White Wines
  *6 Flat Chrome Storage Racks and 2 half-depth Flat Racks
  *Dual-function LED Read-out
  *Lock and key
  *Graphite Matte Work Top
  *Soft Interior Lighting
  *Leveling Legs
  *Dimensions W 19 15/16″, D 21 3/4″, H 38 17/32″

Weight: 110.5 Lbs.

Warranty:  12 months parts and labor:  5 years on sealed system

For current price and shipping information go to: http://idealwinecoolers.com/product/HVF042BBG

Haier 42 Bottle Wine Cooler

This great product will add a touch of class to your home.  Let’s go SHOPPING now.

Author: Ronald Senn, VP Ideal Wine Coolers, 10/23/09

Let us say that you have finally decided to get serious about having and properly maintaining a wine collection.   However, when thinking about having several bottles of wine on hand for future use and aging them to perfection, you know your refrigerator is a poor choice for storing your wine.  An investment in a wine cooler is an investment in improving your enjoyment of wine by storing it properly.

In your decision making process, you decided on a size (e.g., 24 bottle capacity), a specific application (e.g., counter top, free standing or under counter wine cooler) and color scheme (e.g., black cabinet with stainless steel door trim).  Now all you have to do is to go buy one.  There are many other critical options that you should consider and at the same time recognize that they incrementally will add to the cost of your wine cooler.

A key consideration that should be a part of your final decision-making is the need to secure your wine collection.  If you have children, you do not want them opening and closing the wine cooler or messing with the bottles that are so tenderly cradled within it.  For that matter, you may be in a situation that your family or friends might have an uncontrolled need to investigate for themselves what you so carefully have stored away.  If security is an issue, you will need to purchase a locking wine cooler.  There is nothing like a locked door to maintain your collection in the undisturbed condition that good wine aging requires.

Wines should be stored away from light.  Ultraviolet light (UV), especially with clear bottled wines, will damage your wine.  Sparkling wines are even more sensitive to UV rays.  Exposure to light may give wine unpleasant aromas and eventually ruin it.  Wine coolers are made with a broad array of different interior lighting systems and glass door tints.  Look for lighting that stays away from incandescent bulbs and for darkly tinted glass doors.  It is pleasing to the eye to look at your wine collection through a tinted front door glass, especially if your collection is lit with a soft blue LED light. 

Finally, wine does not like a “shake, rattle and roll” existence.  If you are aging your wines carefully, you will want to maintain them in as undisturbed condition as possible.  Thermoelectric wine coolers operate on a cooling system that is vibration free and are eco-friendly.  Standard compressor models can operate better when indoor ambient temperature fluctuations are a concern.

Additional contributions to wine disturbance are a function of the wine shelving you select.  Many wine coolers come with racking systems that are made of metal, vinyl coated metal or wood.   Mostly, these racking systems can be removed for cleaning, but essentially are designed to be stationary in the wine cooler.  Some wine coolers now come with slide-out, glide-out or rollout shelving.  This type of shelving is designed to allow access to your wine collection by merely pulling the shelf out.  This allows you to easily and gently remove the bottle that you want without the potential to disturb other stored bottles.

Deciding to buy a wine cooler is a good first step in protecting and improving your overall enjoyment of your favorite vintage.  The ability to entertain your friends and family with wine at just the right temperature will make them envious.  However, do not slight that initial investment of a wine cooler by not investing in the additional features that will take your wine storage from the minimal to the ultimate.   You may not appreciate that investment now, but you will as time moves forward.

For more information visit:  http://www.idealwinecoolers.com

Author:  Ronald Senn, VP Ideal Wine Coolers, October 2009

Wine is becoming an ever-increasing favorite of many people. With over 1000 different wine varieties, the choices one has seem nearly infinite. As wine’s popularity with us increases, the requirements for good wine storage need consideration. Wine is a perishable food that when improperly stored will lose value and flavor and eventually could end up undrinkable.

How does one get the right wine storage appliance to meet their needs? If you are the person that brings home the occasional bottle of wine for that special dinner or party, it is okay to store the wine on its side in the refrigerator until you use it. However, if you are thinking about having several bottles of wine on hand for future use and aging them to perfection, your refrigerator is a poor choice for storing your wine. Several factors need your consideration to find the wine cooler that fits your needs.

FIRST, you need to decide what your wine storage objective is. How much wine do you want to store? What kinds of wine do you want to have on hand? How long do you plan to store it? Wine coolers are available that can store from a few bottles to hundreds of bottles. If you plan to store a mix of red and white wines, a dual-zone wine cooler would be a good choice; different wines should be stored at their optimum temperature. The best place to store your wine undisturbed until it reaches it best age is a wine cooler.

SECOND, especially in today’s world, the cost of the wine cooler is an important factor. Wine coolers range in price from under $100 to several thousand dollars. Custom built wine cabinets can easily cost over $10,000. Dual-zone wine coolers will cost more than single-zone coolers and front-venting wine coolers for under-counter applications will cost more than freestanding ones. Some beverage centers can store wine as well as a good mix of canned beverages.

THIRD, the space you have available for a wine cooler is another important consideration. If you live in a small apartment or condominium, several wine coolers are available that can fit on top of your kitchen counter. Freestanding wine coolers come in a wide variety of shapes and sizes and can be installed anywhere you have a niche to fill. Built-in wine coolers, designed to fit under your countertop, come in the same dimensions as standard kitchen cabinets.

FOURTH, consider your home’s decor when selecting a wine cooler. Wine coolers on the market today come in all different styles and colors. From basic white and black to models with gleaming chrome or stainless steel finishes, there are many choices that will make your wine cooler accent your décor instead of detract from it.

I truly believe that an investment in a wine cooler that fits your needs is an investment in improving your enjoyment of wine. You will need to evaluate and balance all the decision criteria. Consider the factors that are appropriate for you and then invest in a cooler that will keep your favorite wine cool and ready for you to serve.

For more information see: http://www.idealwinecoolers.com/page/home/index.html

Author: Ronald Senn, VP Ideal Wine Coolers, September 2009