We’ve outgrown the ~175 bottle Wine Enthusiast fridge we have - and lots of our Cali cabs and pinot bottles don’t fit very well in it anyways, so in the market for an upgrade. Looking at an electric cellar option in the ~250 bottle category … likely to be (at least in our current house) something that just gets tucked into unfinished space in the basement, but we’re also likely to move in 3-5 years and may want something which can be more prominently displayed should circumstances warrant. Rough budget is a soft $5-6k.
I’ve come up with these two options that look the most promising:
What I like about this one is the racked slots which can accomodate any size bottle. La Cache also claims that their unit keeps a more even temperature compared to a “refrigerator” style unit which will often be colder toward the back and warmer toward the front.
What I like about the Eurocave is that they actually specifically seem to address humidity whereas La Cache really doesn’t, and I also have several friends who have great things to say about their Eurocaves.
Are there any other products I should consider? Any thoughts on La Cache vs. Eurocave?
With the Eurocave unless you get a lemon, no issues and it is perfect for the bottles any size. Best for the most expensive bottles. Le cache is slightly louder and stores more. You May have to monitor/ hack for humidity. Tough to choose. if you get the revelation I would recommend a glass door. Putting either in the basement, may be a logistical challenge. Check dimensions and weight. I think you will be happy with either one. (Humidity in the northeast seems to be okay for the le cache, except in the coldest months of winter)
I’ve got Krug, Dom, & Magnums in my Eurocaves. The raking is adjustable and I’ve really been happy with them. Just the cost of filters once/year. Oh, and I have three…
I have both a LeCache 3100 Vault, and a EuroCave Pure. I like them both for different reasons. The reason why I purchased the Eurocave was because the shelves are adjustable and you can fit large Champagne bottles. The regular slots in the LeCache won’t fit Krug or Dom bottles. That is the major downside to me.
Dom won’t fit in my LeCache slots. Bouchard bottles fit in very snug without much room to spare. I also use cardboard tubes on the top shelves. Maximizes space without the hassle of stacking bottles.
Those with Eurocaves … does the temperature have a big swing from front to back? My current WE brand fridge runs like 48-49 degrees in the back (bottle temperature) and closer to 58-59 degrees in the front (again, bottle temperature) … the le cache rep told me this is an issue endemic to “fridge” style chillers because that’s where the refrigeration unit is whereas the le cache model essentially acts more like a cellar with an air conditioning unit that pumps in cold air which circulates and therefore has a more even temperature throughout.
I have both. I think the eurocave is able to run a bit cooler and more efficient. I don’t notice much variation in temps on the eurocave except on top rack under the fan seems a bit cooler. I have had issues with moldy labels when a bottle accidentally touches the back wall. Over time, I find the stacking of bottles eurocave annoying as it seems the bottle I want is always on the bottom.
The lecache has fantastic accessibility and its a bit louder. However, not as cold. It’s set at 55? I think, and generally measures air temp on bottom row of ~60. This isn’t an issue for me as I think 60 is fine. No humidity issues in central Texas—as low at 50% in winter close to 70% in summer.
Having had both for >5yrs I prefer the le lache mainly for easy accessibility to bottles. I put in the exact location in CellarTracker. Makes it super easy.
My Le Caches are in our basement, which only gets into the low-mid 70s in summer. The units don’t have any trouble maintaining an even 55 degrees in this environment. I’ve actually turned them up to 58 since I’m aging faster than the wines. The cabinets are almost completely full, which reduces temperature fluctuations.
I barely notice the noise even when sitting at a desk in the basement next to the units. That is probably because I have the next-to-least-powerful cooling units in them, the 1800QT.
The main reasons I went with Le Cache:
I wanted ease of access with minimal stacking and the ability to record exact location in CellarTracker. Still have to stack Krug and Taittinger Comtes on the top. It sounds like most have to do this with Dom as well - guess I’m lucky.
CellarPro chillers have a good reputation for reliability and are readily available should one need replacement.
I’d rather have my walk-in cellar back, but that wasn’t happening when we downsized.
My Eurocave sits in the house and runs pretty consistent temperatures. I buy from Mo Ayoub and his bottles are huge. They fit just fine in the Eurocave but would not fit well in the WE 175. Got rid of the WE and just kept th Eurocave.
I have 3 Eurocave units bought at different times so there are some differences. They are not the really high end of Eurocave’s line. As long as I change the charcoal filter on schedule, temperature and humidity run very close front to back and top to bottom.
My oldest unit is about 20 years old; the next is 14 years old; and the newest one is 2 years old. I use mostly rolling shelves with the exception of one fixed shelf. Since the distance between shelves is adjustable I don’t have any bottle size issues as long as I plan ahead. Periodically I have to adjust shelf spacing as inventory changes. Roll out shelving reduces capacity but so do odd sized bottles and those with long necks. Some of my shelves only accommodate 10 bottles. That said, I use 375ml bottles to oppose the long-necked ones when it makes sense. I do like the individually adjustable shelves in my newest cabinet. They provide a little more flexibility but really long-necked bottles are still an issue.