Haier 12-bottle wine coolers are freestanding countertop electric wine cellars operated by thermal electric cooling.
If you’re looking for a small-capacity tabletop wine refrigerator then you might consider buying any of the 12-Bottle wine cooler models by Haier reviewed in this article.
Haier America currently offers four 12-bottle wine refrigerator models that cost less than US$150 offering affordable wine storage solution for wine enthusiasts.
But are Haier wine coolers of good quality? Are they dependable, long-lasting appliances?
Haier 12 Bottle Wine Cooler – Models HVT12ABB/HVT12ABS/HVT12AVS – Review
This is a thermoelectric wine cooler that accommodates up to 12 bottles of wine. Thermoelectric cooling technology has a range of benefits including silent, vibration free operation which is ideal when storing wines.
Thermoelectric wine coolers are less harmful to the environment than compressor run fridges since thermoelectric cooling doesn’t need any cooling agent and they consume less electricity too.
The Haier HVT12ABB has an all black design: black cabinet with black interior and black-framed, clear view glass door. The door is double-paned ensuring good thermal insulation.
It has a recessed handle ensuring easy, space-efficient placement, and clean design.
The Haier HVT12ABS model differs only in the cabinet decor: the door has silver trim instead of black, other features are identical with the Haier HVT12ABB model.
There’s one more model: HVT12AVW: black cabinet with virtual wood framed door and silver interior.
The units have 3 wavy chromed wire racks that can be pulled out. Each rack holds max. 4 standard size wine bottles (750 ml, Bordeaux style).
The Haier HVT12ABB/HVT12ABS 12 bottle wine coolers have very simple, no-frill features:
- mechanical thermostat that goes from white wines to red wines (but doesn’t show the temperature values) for adjusting the temperature in the range of 50 – 61ºF.
- there’s no temperature level display, and
- a major weakness that it doesn’t have inteiror light.
Dimensions of the Haier HVT12ABB Wine Cooler:
- Height: 16″
- Width: 18 1/8″
- Depth (with handle): 22 5/16″
The units have front leveling legs. The venting is at the back of the unit so make sure you leave enough space (4″-5 “) for the hot air driven out by the fans to dissipate properly.
These wine coolers are designed for freestanding use only, they cannot be built in cabinetry.
Consumer Reviews of the Haier HVT12ABB/HVT12ABS/HVT12AVS wine coolers
Haier wine coolers tend to get low ratings and customers complain a lot on early failures and low quality of Haier appliances.
Unfortunately this is also true for the Haier 12-bottle wine coolers. In some cases the cooler died within a couple of weeks or months.
Several users have complained that the cooler doesn’t cool to the set temperature.
Note that a thermoelectric cooler shouldn’t be placed in a room with ambient temperature higher than 77ºF (25ºC), otherwise it won’t be able to cool to the set temperature and/or maintain it.
Overall it looks that the Haier 12-bottle wine coolers are unreliable and probably will stop working within a year.
Our advice: don’t buy a Haier 12 bottle wine bottle cooler – they’re one of the cheapest in the category of thermalelectric countertop wine fridges but the quality is very poor.
Unfortunately this stands for most other similar size wine coolers by other brands.
Haier HVUE12ABB/HVUE12ABS/HVUE12BSS Wine Coolers
With Electronic Thermostat
The HVUE12ABB is different form the above models in that it has electronic thermostat that you can set by pressing the control buttons on the control panel mounted on the top door frame. The control panel also includes a LED display that shows the cabinet temperature in red.
Key Features
- black cabinet, black interior with dual pane, tinted glass door, recessed handle
- thermoelectric cooling
- LED interior light (blue hue)
- digital thermostat, LED display
- temperature range: 46°F – 65°F (max. 75°F – 77°F ambient temp.)
- 3 pull-out chrome-plated wire shelves
- 4 leveling legs
Dimensions:
- H: 16″
- W: 18.125″
- D: 22.31″
- Weight: 38.6 lbs.
Placement:
Freestanding only with enough clearance around the sides, at the back and top (2-3″, check manual for more details)
Price: cc. US$ 90 – 140. Warranty: 1 year parts and labor.
Reviews & Ratings of the Haier HVUE12A Wine Cooler
Besides the technical improvements (digital thermostat and display) the Haier HVUE12A series wine cellars seems to be of similarly low quality than the other 12 bottle models reviewed above. “Cooler stopped working within a few months”, “died after xx months” are frequently mentioned in reviews provided by owners of this unit. If you want a long lasting wine cooler then spend more on a higher quality unit.
Haier HVUE12DBSS Double Door Dual Zone Wine Cooler
This attractive double door 12-bottle wine cellar is a new model by Haier and it is hopefully of better quality than the other 12 bottle units.
A great feature is that the HVUE12DBSS has two distinct temperature zones each with its own digital controls and display.
Key Features
- silver cabinet with with double door: silver trimmed dual pane, tinted door glass, recessed handle
- 2 temperature zones – temperature can be set individually
- interior light – low intensity LED lighting
- temperature can be set in the range of 45°F – 65°F
- digital adjsutable thermostat,
- control panel with touch buttons and LED display (in red) for each zone
- 6 pull-out wavy chromed wire racks (3 in each zone)
- leveling legs
Dimensions:
- H: 15.06″
- W: 18.88″
- D: 20.56″
- Weight: 33.2 lbs.
Placement:
for freestanding placement only (max. 75°F – 77°F ambient temp.) with a couple of inches clearance around the sides at the back and top for proper air circulation.
Price: cc. US$ 130 – 180. Warranty: 1 year parts and labor.
Haier 12 Bottle Wine Cooler Tower – Models HVW12ABB/HVW12ABS/HVW12BSS
The Haier HVW12ABB wine cooler is a slim wine refrigerator that easily fits into narrow spaces. This model also uses thermoelectric cooling technology. The wine cooler is a freestanding unit since the venting is at the rear of the cabinet.
This model also has mechanical thermostat with no temperature display, but it comes with interior LED light (which is too small according to some users of this model).
5 pull-out chrome racks are included.Dimensions of the Haier HVW12ABB wine refrigerator:
- Height: 25 5/8″
- Width: 10 1/4″
- Depth with handle: 19 1/2″
Other color options:
- Black cabinet with silver door frame (Model HVW12ABS)
- Silver cabinet with silver door frame (Model: HVW12BSS)
Don’t expect the cooler to maintain serving temperatures for champagne and whites but it can cool to 50ºF in a room with ambinet temperature around 70ºF.
Price of the Haier HVW12ABB wine cooler: cc. US$ 80 – 100 (US$ 6.66 – 8.33 per bottle).
Similar Units: The EdgeStar 12-bottle wine cooler is a similar unit with thermoelectric cooling and compact size.Avanti EWC1201 Wine Cooler – slim countertop unit.
Reada review of the Haier 18 bottle wine cooler, a very slim, 11″ wide thermoelectric wine cellar.
See other Slim Wine Coolers.
Compare Haier 12-Bottle Models to Other 12-Bottle Wine Refrigerators
There are many 12-bottle electric wine cellars by other brands (Avanti, Vinotemp, Wine Enthusiast, Cuisinart) with not much difference in quality, look and price.
Before buying, it is a good idea to Compare the Haier 12-Bottle Wine Fridges to other 12-Bottle Wine Coolers.
