WineLovers Discussion Group

Greetings.

I have been collecting wine for over three years and now have some bottles in my collection that warrant serious aging-2001 Opus One and Yquem are stars. I live in Denver, Colorado. No humidity with very hot summers and cold winters. I have a crawl space but no basement. I have been looking into wine cabinets and cellars on a limited budget. I have a small but growing collection-150 bottles. I know a person who is selling a Vinotemp 650 (like the 700) for $1,000. I am unsure about the reliability of these units and if this is a good investment. I would love any comments or advice you can offer to help me make a good, informed decision. Thank you.

heat and light are enemies of wine. As a rule, don't spend on storage more than what your wine is worth (or the potential worth of your collection). Reno is also at an altitude (like Denver) and we too have hot summers and low humidity. You probably need a unit that will maintain good temp, appropriate humidity and keep out light.

I have a Vinotemp and have had no problems. $1000 for that unit seems a very good price. About the only thing that can go wrong with these (and I guess it is a big deal in a way) is if the air unit fails. But those are easily replaceable and not that expensive.

The only issue is the size of the slots. I had mine made so that they are all Burgundy size. That way those fat a$$ Pinot and Chard and Syrah bottles fit easily w/o scraping the labels. Plus the regular Bordeaux size racking was too small for my hand to fit in, and since these are double deep in storage, that was a problem.

My advice.. go for it.. .. and then be amazed at how frickin fast you go from 150 to 350 bottles!!!

James Dietz wrote:I

My advice.. go for it.. .. and then be amazed at how frickin fast you go from 150 to 350 bottles!!!

Oh yeah..buy something taking into account future purchases!