Product Description

This ultra-quiet wine cellar from Haier America is the ideal way to keep your favorite wines chilled. Store up to 12 bottles of red and white wines at the perfect temperature. Features a silver-trimmed, double pane insulated door with a recessed handle. The elegant black interior houses 3 full chrome wire storage racks.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #5616 in Kitchen & Housewares
• Color: Silver
• Brand: Haier
• Model: HVT12ABS
• Released on: 2004-10-19
• Dimensions: 16.00" h x 22.31" w x 18.13" l,

Features

• Table-top wine cellar with ultra-quiet thermo-electric cooling system
• Perfect for chilling up to 12 bottles of red or white wine
• Adjustable thermostat; 3 full-chrome wire storage racks
• Silver-trimmed, double-pane insulated glass door; recessed handle
• Measures 22-5/16 by 18-1/8 by 16 inches

Customer Reviews

Too Big on the Outside, yet Too Small on the Inside
First, let me start by addressing the other reviews that have been critical of the quality of the Haier Tabletop Wine Cellar. I've used mine for over a month with no issues, and I believe I may have an explanation for others' perceived problems. The unit works by cycling a cooling fan on and off as needed, so it doesn't continuously run like most refrigerators do. Also, its thermostat is extremely particular, i.e. if it senses that it's cold enough, you can't turn it down low enough to force the fan to kick on. Finally, remember that this is a wine cooler, not a mini-fridge, and that wine isn't meant to be kept as cold as other beverages. We have our unit stored in a pantry on the coldest corner of our house and it keeps the wine right while barely running the fan. These circumstances could lead to a misperception that the unit has completely stopped working when in fact, it's just accurately having an "off" cycle. If my Wine Cellar ever does truly stop working, I'll certainly update this review.

Potential dependability issues aside, there are still critical problems with the Tabletop Wine Cellar that keep it from being a realistic solution for most people. The most immediate one is size - when you pull it out of the box, you'll scratch your head wondering whether or not you really picked up the model for "Tabletop" use. Somewhere in the world, counters must be much deeper than where I live! I can't verify the dimensions that are quoted above, but the depth seems suspiciously small. Plus, the instructions for the unit specify that it needs several inches of clearance on the back and sides for ventilation. Taking this additional space into consideration, the Cellar is about the size of a microwave oven but much deeper. Our solution was to put it sideways on a microwave cart in a separate room; however, having to do so is a pretty big deviation from the way that it's advertised. In case you're planning on building it into a cabinet or bar as a workaround, the instructions prohibit that as well (again for ventilation concerns).

The second issue is that even as big as the Wine Cellar is on the outside, it's ironically cramped on the inside. Any bottle bigger than 750 mL will not fit unless you remove one of the wire racks, thus reducing it to an eight-bottle capacity (four 750 and four larger ones). Even if you stick with the standard bottle volume, some unusually-shaped bottles will still not fit. For instance, we found that the extra tall, skinny bottles of Chateau Ste. Michel have to be put in diagonally so that basically only one bottle fits per shelf and then you've got to be careful that it doesn't roll out when you open the door.

On the positive side, the unit is very quiet - even when the fan is running, it's no louder than the fan on a new PC. It's also attractively styled in black with the appearance of a brushed pewter frame for the glass door. The door seal and hinge both feel solid and sturdy. The thermostat actually does result in a range of temperatures, but this of course precludes storing white and red together.

To sum up, the Haier Wine Cellar attempts to do the impossible - providing a chiller spacious enough for a case of wine yet compact enough to fit neatly on a kitchen countertop - but ultimately can't quite do it. I haven't experienced any of the motor failure problems that others have described (yet); mine has been a reliable performer. Unfortunately, the additional workaround of where to keep the unit and what to do about the bottles that won't fit in it reduce the Wine Cellar to much less than a hassle-free solution.

PROS
* Cooling fan is very quiet when running
* Accurate thermostat provides a range of temperatures for whites vs. reds

CONS
* Way too large to realistically sit on any countertop
* Can't accommodate large or unusually-shaped wine bottles

Died after one week!!
I received this as a gift in September filled with my favorite wines. The were all chilled the next day, enjoyed one bottle, and then the thing DIED. It doesn't turn on, run, nothing. Now I'm in the middle of trying to get ahold of a Baier "service center" ... :(

Big Disappointment
My wife and I received this Haier as a wedding gift. At first we loved it. After 6 months, it completely died. I spoke to Haier and they were willing to replace it, but with a purchase receipt, even after having told them it was a wedding gift. LUCKILY, we found out, around the way it was purchased through Costco; and Costco has the ULTIMATE customer service. So we returned it with no questions and received credit towards it's value; $96.00.
Don't buy this, it will set you up with a big disappointment.