Cuisinart CWC-600 Private Reserve 6-Bottle Stainless-Steel Countertop Wine Cellar

by Cuisinart

Product Features

• 6-bottle countertop wine cellar in an attractive stainless-steel design
• Thermoelectric compressor-less cooling technology for quiet operation
• Controls with 8 presets ensures ideal storing and serving temperatures
• LED display; 3 removable chrome racks; interior lighting
• Measures 21-1/2 by 11 by 16 inches; 3-year limited warranty

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 21.5 x 11 x 16 inches ; 30 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 25 pounds
• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• Shipping Advisory: This item must be shipped separately from other items in your order. Additional shipping charges will not apply.
• ASIN: B000G60LKC
• Item model number: CWC-600
• Average Customer Review: 2.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (28 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #194,324 in Appliances (See Top 100 in Appliances)
  • #9 in Appliances > Wine Cellars > Small Wine Cellars

Product Description

Protect the integrity of your favorite wines with the Cuisinart Private Reserve Wine Cellar. This elegant countertop cellar chills wines using thermoelectric cooling technology, which eliminates noise and vibration. Patented program with 8 presets for proper serving and storage temperature or any variety of white or red wine with the ability to adjust the temperature manually keeps up to 6 bottles of wine at the perfect serving temperature. Designed in the style of full-size cellars, with a stainless steel door, interior light, and 3 removable chrome racks designed to hold 750ml or 1500ml bottles the Cuisinart Private Reserve is a beautiful way to display wines and champagnes.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

39 of 41 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars not so happy, December 28, 2006

By 

Reviewer (San Francisco CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Cuisinart CWC-600 Private Reserve 6-Bottle Stainless-Steel Countertop Wine Cellar (Kitchen)

Good:
* Nice looking, well built
* Digital display with presets for easy temperature setting
* Interior light

Bad:
* Constantly powering on and off every 2 minutes for 20-30 seconds
* Noisy fan while powered on. Louder than a full-sized fridge.
* In the event of a power failure, the unit defaults to the coldest setting (45F) which is a more drastic temperature range than if I left my wine on the counter.

Update: My electric bill went up 157% after plugging in this unit. I would reduce this to zero stars, but Amazon won't let me change my rating.

DO NOT BUY THIS ITEM!!!!!

56 of 64 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Nice unit for the money, September 15, 2007

By 

Captain Audio (Rochester, NY United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Cuisinart CWC-600 Private Reserve 6-Bottle Stainless-Steel Countertop Wine Cellar (Kitchen)

I purchased this unit and, contrary to the other reviewers, am relatively happy with it. The fan noise is louder than expected and you certainly wouldn't want this in a quiet area of the house, but its not objectionable in an already noisy area like the kitchen.

Also, I'd like to clear the air about some of the claims against this unit. Many people are complaining about the power usage, mostly because they hear the fan going off and on a lot. The problem is that people are equating this to a refrigerator which would use a ton of electricity if it cycled on and off this much. But a fridge uses a compressor, and this unit uses a thermoelectric cooling system. Its a VERY different system.

I have a power meter that measures the power usage of an appliance over time. This unit uses 15 watts when the fan is off and about 75 watts when its on. I have it set to 57 degrees F, and my house is at 74 degrees. The amount of cycling I get translates to a cost of about $35 a year to run the thing (at 10 cents a kilowatt hour). Seems pretty reasonable to me.

In a fridge, the ENTIRE system (compressor and fans) cycles on and off based on the interior temperature. Since the interior temperature is fairly stable, it doesn't have to turn on and on much.

I'm not an expert on thermoelectric cooling, but my limited knowledge leads me to believe that its a continuous and proportional cooling system. What that means is that its always electronically moving heat from the inside of the unit to a heat sink on the outside. The amount of heat moved depends on the interior temperature, the exterior temperature, and a voltage setting (you set the voltage when you select the temperature on the control panel).

So the fan on the outside is turned off and on just to cool the heat sink on the back. Since the heat sink heats up and cools down quickly, the fan turns off and on frequently to keep it cool. The fan will be on more if your house is warmer. The "cooling" is always happening whether the fan is on or not. That's why it uses 15 watts when the fan is off.

But, and this is the important part, the fan cycling on and off does NOT indicate a compressor or other cooling element turning off and on, so its not using a ton of electricity. Its just the fan.

Now don't get me wrong, the fan cycling on and off can be annoying depending on the location in the house. But don't mistake that for gobbling up electricity.

Other than the fan noise, its a nice little unit. I measured the temperature inside and compared it to the control panel setting and its spot-on. For most people, if you want to use the lowest setting, 45 degrees, you're better off just using your normal fridge since it should be set at around 40 degrees. But if you're really looking for cellar temperatures of 55 to 65 degrees, this does a great job.

21 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Big Disappointment, January 1, 2007

By 

Charles OBert (San Francisco) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Cuisinart CWC-600 Private Reserve 6-Bottle Stainless-Steel Countertop Wine Cellar (Kitchen)

Cuisinart claims this operates quietly. This is not true. The unit has a very noisy fan. The fan comes on every few seconds, runs for a few seconds and then shuts off for a few seconds. This cycle continuosly repeats and needless to say it is very noticeable and annoying. I've followed the directions and tried all the presets but it doesn't seem to matter. What a disappointment from what I thought was a reputable company.