Comparison Caso WineMaster 180 vs Caso WineSafe 43

The maximum number of standard wine bottles (straight, Bordeaux type) that the cooler is designed to store.

The increase in capacity affects the dimensions and price of the entire device. So for private home use, a compact wine coolers of small capacity (up to 20 bottles) can be the best choice — especially since the height of such devices is usually small. However, low wine coolers can store more contents — 24 – 25 bottles or more. Models with a capacity of 50 – 80 bottles are already designed mainly for bars and restaurants, but they can also be useful for enthusiastic wine collectors; and the most voluminous of modern wine coolers can hold noticeably more than 80 bottles — in some units up to two or three hundred.

It is also worth noting that it is not recommended to fill wine coolers to their full capacity. The actual occupancy should be at least 30 percent lower than the maximum. So, when choosing, it is worth making an appropriate margin.

— Climatic. Wine coolers with one temperature zone: one temperature is maintained throughout the entire volume of the working chamber. Such models are designed only for storing wines; different types at the same time (red, white, etc.) — they can all be normally stored at the same temperature. But the optimal serving temperature is just different, and a temperature cooler is better suited to prepare for serving.

— Temperature. Coolers with several zones with separate temperature control. The meaning of this design lies primarily in the fact that different types of wine have different recommended serving temperatures, which, moreover, differ from the optimal storage temperature; see "Temperature zones" for details.

The number of temperature zones provided in the working chamber of the wine cooler.

The temperature zone is a part of the working chamber with its temperature mode, independent of the rest of the volume. In climatic coolers (see "Product type") there is only one such zone — this is quite enough for storing wines, even different types. But it is recommended to serve different types of wine at different temperatures, and all these temperatures differ from the 10..12 °C required for storage. Accordingly, additional temperature zones are desirable in preparation for serving. Moreover, the more these zones, the more types of wines can be kept ready for serving at the same time, but the more expensive the unit is. Thus, most multi-temperature models have only two zones — for storage and for serving; the latter can be reconfigured for different types of wines. More zones — 3 or more — are found mainly in high-end high-capacity coolers.

The number of shelves provided in the design of the wine cabinet.

Such shelves are usually mounted on rails and can be removed if necessary. In some models, they can also be rearranged to another level. All this can be useful for organizing the space inside the cooler — for example, to accommodate large bottles of increased thickness, you can remove one of the shelves, providing the right amount of needed space. As for the quantity, it is selected by the manufacturer, taking into account the capacity, width and height of the working chamber, so this parameter is not that important when choosing.

— Interior lighting. Lighting installed in the working chamber. It allows you to see the contents of the cooler better. Lighting is useful since the working chamber is often in the shade, even in bright ambient light.



— Chamber heating. The ability of the cooler to work in heating mode. In temperature models, heating is used to prepare red wines for serving: we recall that such wines are stored at standard 11..12 °C, but the optimal serving temperature can be up to 18 °C, depending on the wine type. In climatic coolers, this function is designed mainly for cases where the ambient temperature drops below the optimum temperature of the working chamber. For example, in case of problems with room heating. In addition, increasing the temperature during storage speeds up the process of wine maturation, which can also be useful.

— Fast cooling. A special intensive cooling mode designed for situations where a large number of non-chilled bottles must be additionally placed in an already loaded wine cooler. If you do this in normal cooling mode, the temperature inside will rise noticeably, and it may adversely affect the wines already stored in the cabinet. During the fast cooling, excess heat is intensively removed from the working chamber. It helps to avoid microclimate disturbances. It is worth noting that this mode usually needs to be turned on in adv...ance, a few hours before loading a new batch of wine bottles, and turned off after a certain time to avoid overloads. These details must be given in the manufacturer's documentation.

— Chamber ventilation. The presence of a ventilation system in the working chamber of the cooler. Such a system prevents the accumulation of unpleasant odours that can adversely affect the taste of wine, penetrating through corks. Note that in models without a fan, air circulation also occurs, but it is much less intense.

— Humidity control. It is the ability to adjust the air humidity inside the wine chamber. Some wines are very demanding on storage conditions and require not only a certain temperature but also a certain humidity. The humidity control function allows you to set its optimal value. In addition, the humidity should not be lower than 70%. Otherwise, the cork dries out, and an excessive amount of air gets into the bottle, which accelerates the oxidation of the wine and worsens its taste.

— Charcoal filter. A special filter that removes foreign odours from the air in the wine cooler. Wine bottles are not completely sealed — some air constantly enters through the cork, which has a porous structure, and strong odours can thus enter the bottle and adversely affect the taste and aroma of the wine. The charcoal filter helps to avoid this. Note that it must be replaced from time to time.

— Anti-vibration system. System for smoothing various vibrations and shocks affecting the wine cooler. Such influences are extremely undesirable for storage — they disrupt the course of biochemical processes and can even spoil the product. The presence of an anti-vibration system is relevant mainly for coolers with compressors (see "Cooling type"). It is the compressor circuits that are most susceptible to vibrations. If such a unit does not have such a function, it is a low-cost model not designed for long-term and thorough storage of expensive wines. Or it is a device with a high-quality compressor, which initially has a low vibration level and can be used without special protection against them. As for thermoelectric cabinets, the fans used in them are also potential sources of vibration but not as intense as compressors. Therefore, in such units, an anti-vibration system rarely occurs.

— Reversible door. It is an ability at your discretion to choose the direction in which the door of the wine cabinet will open. This function allows you to adjust the design to the location; it can be useful in cramped conditions, where the door can normally open only in one direction.

— Door alarm. It is a system that monitors the closing of the wine cooler door. If the door is not closed for a long time or is not closed tightly enough, an audible or light (depending on the model) signal is given. It avoids a critical change in temperature and humidity in the wine chamber and preserves the quality of the wine.

— Failure indicator. It is a system that monitors the state of the wine cooler units and gives a signal in case of failure. It allows you to avoid unpleasant consequences, ranging from a critical change in storage conditions and damage to wine ending to serious breakdowns and even accidents.

— Child lock. A special lock designed mainly to prevent a curious little child from getting to the contents of the wine cooler. The child lock is turned on and off in a special way that does not create problems for an adult but is not available for a child. And in some models, such a lock is closed with a traditional key. It can also be used for general protection against unauthorized access to the contents of the wine cooler.

The type of control for wine coolers is indicated primarily by the type of control panel, and its location is also taken into account. According to these criteria, in our time, the following options are distinguished: internal rotary knobs, external rotary knobs, internal push-buttons, external push-buttons, internal touch controls and external touch controls. In details:

- Rotary knobs. The simplest type of control. It is quite rare due to poor comfort and tuning accuracy. And for wine coolers, which are not budget devices, this solution looks very doubtful.

- Push-buttons. A fairly convenient, practical and at the same time inexpensive way, suitable for both models with basic capabilities and advanced units; at the same time, buttons are simpler and more compact than rotary knobs and cheaper than touch controls. Therefore, this option is very popular in modern wine coolers.

- Touch controls. Such touch panels are somewhat more expensive than push-button controls, but this is almost imperceptible against the price of the entire cooler. Touch controls are made only electronic, so it is accurate and as functional as possible. At the same time, the touch controls give the device a technological appearance and do not accumulate dirt due to the...absence of unnecessary slots and protruding parts. Note that this type of control is very convenient for coolers with thermoelectric cooling and is used in most of these models, although it is often found in compressor units.

It is worth noting that all types of controls can be both hidden and placed behind the door (internal) and available for settings without opening the door (external). The first option is more pleasing in terms of aesthetics. The second option makes it easier to configure the device.

The energy efficiency class characterizes how economically the wine cabinet consumes electricity. The highest class among modern units is A ++, then A +, A, B, C and further alphabetically.

Note that in this case, it is not energy consumption that is taken into account but consumption in comparison with units having similar specs (and the same type of cooling, see above). Therefore, a professional 80-bottle A++ wine cooler will consume more energy than a 15-bottle C-class unit. We also note that more economical devices have a higher price. However, they have a lower cost of maintenance during their life span.

It is the amount of energy consumed by the wine cooler in a year during normal operation. Of course, the actual consumption will inevitably differ from this indicator in one direction or another, but these differences are usually not fundamental. So this indicator makes it possible to evaluate the efficiency of different models and compare them with each other. Recall that more energy-efficient units cost more on their own, but in the end, they can turn out to be more profitable due to energy savings.

It is the approximate noise level generated by the device during normal operation.

The lower the noise level, the more comfortable the use of the unit and the fewer restrictions there are for its installation. The decibel used to refer to this parameter is a non-linear unit, so the actual loudness of performance is best judged by comparative performance. So, the quietest models give out up to 30 dB, and a similar unit can be installed even in the bedroom: 30 dB is the volume of a whisper, and the upper noise threshold is allowed by sanitary standards for living quarters at night. 40 dB, conversation at moderate volume is already a daytime limit. Such noise is allowed, for example, in a home kitchen or living room. 50 – 60 dB corresponds to a conversation in raised tones; these values are typical for large models used in restaurants and liquor stores. And the loudest modern units give out about 70 dB — this is comparable to a busy city street, and such a wine cooler is best to be installed in a separate room like a pantry.