The Kalamera 18-Bottle Wine Cooler is a great choice if you are looking into starting your own wine collection.
Quick Links: Features At a Glance – What’s To Like? – What’s Not To Like? – Frequently Asked Questions – Look & Style – Shelving – Temperature Control – Placement – Price & Warranty – Who Should Buy? – Summary
This 12-inch wide wine refrigerator has all the important features a good-quality wine storage must have. The premium-look is a nice asset too.
Read on to find out about the technical specifications and some other benefits that make the Kalamera-KRC18SZB a popular small wine fridge.
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Quick Overview
Kalamera 18-Bottle Wine Cooler (KRC-18SZB)
Capacity: 18 bottles (750 ml, Bordeuax style)
Model: KRC-18SZB, KRC-70ASS
Cooling Type: Compressor with fan-circulated air-cooling
Zones:Single Temperature Zone: 40 – 66°F (4.5 – 18°C),
Placement: Built-In/Standalone
Dimensions: H: 33.9″, W: 11.6″, D: 22.4″ (With Handle: 24.4″)
Place Of Manufacture: China (in accordance with U. S. ETL/UL standards).
Price: cc. 480 – 500 USD (26.7 – 27.8 USD per bottle)
Pros
An awesome slim wine fridge ideal for small homes.
Sharp, contemporary look with stainless steel features and natural beech wood shelves.
Optional integrated, under-counter or standalone placement
Door lock with 2 keys
Cons
Warranty length is only 1 year
Door swing is one way only.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are The Shelves Removable?
Yes, you can pull out all the 6 wood shelves. You may want to remove a shelf to make room for wider/taller bottles. They slide out easily.
How Tall is The Kalamera 18-Bottle Wine Fridge?
The unit’s height is 33.9″. Width: 11.6 inches., Depth: 22.4 inches without handle, with handle is 24.4 inches deep.
The suggested built-in dimensions are: Width: 12 inches x Height: 34.1 inches x Depth: 22.4 inches.
Is The Door Swing Reversible?
Yes you can reverse the door opening direction (it’s described in the Instruction Manual). The door opens from the right as factory default. The cooler comes with Upper and Bottom Hinge, plus 2 screws.
You can remove the logo from the door glass (it comes off easily) if it bothers you that it’s upside down after changing the hinging.
Does It Accommodate Larger Bottles?
If you remove a shelf you will have enough space for larger bottles (e.g. 1.5L). Also the bottom shelf has more space so you can place magnums, and other non-standard style bottles there.
Is The Kalamera 18-Bottle Wine Cooler Noisy?
It has a slight humming sound when on but all in all the Kalamera KRC-18SZB is one of the quietest wine fridges on the market.
According to owners you can barely hear it working and you can sit and chat with others next to it. The wine fridge uses advanced compressor cooling that generates less noise and vibration than previous technologies.
How Does The Kalamera 18-Bottle Wine Cooler Look?
One thing is obvious if you inspect the fridge: it has a clean, stylish look.
The dual-pane, slightly tinted glass door features a couple of inches wide stainless steel trim.
The sturdy, straight stainless steel handle can be removed should you need it for some reason. Like, it is in the way at the placement spot.
So feel free to not install it. You will still be able to open the door though it is much smoother with the handle attached.
The ventilation grille in the front is also stainless steel and the hexagon bolt safety lock located in the middle of it.
The door opens to the left but the hinging is reversible (just follow the step-by-step instruction in the manual)
The silver color stainless elements go well with the matte black cabinet. The fridge will definitely look very good in any home setting either
- slotted in with cabinetry or
- placed freestanding.
The glass door provides a perfect view of the bottles laying on the 6 natural beechwood shelves.
The LED interior light will subtly illuminate the interior at night in soft blue. It’s low-intensity so won’t consume much electricity or heat to warm the air inside.
The control panel with touch buttons is integrated in the top part of the cabinet interior.
The white digital icons are a no-brainer to use to set the temperature. The light switch is also here. Just tap to turn on or off as you wish.
Shelving – Slide-Out, Unvarnished Wood
The Kalamera 18-Bottle wine cellar comes with 6 natural, beechwood shelves.
The shelves are completely made of wood as opposed to many other wine storage coolers where the racks are wire with a wood front.
Each one holds 3 standard-size and width bottles (750 ml, Bordeaux-style, 2.75″/7 cm wide).
The shelves slide out without a hitch so you can place and access the bottles effortlessly.
They have built-in stoppers to prevent pulling out too abrupty and dropping bottles.
You can pull the shelves all the way out should you want to make room for large/non-standard style bottles or for some other reason. Just make sure to empty the shelf before starting to remove it.
Wire may scratch the labels more easily than wood, on the other hand wood tends to bend under the weight of bottles in the long run.
How To Set The Temperature?
The digital temperature control and LED screen display are built-in the top part of the fridge interior.
The screen shows the cabinet’s temperature in white numbers on blue background. You can clearly see it through the glass door.
On the left side of the temperature display there is an Up Arrow. Press it to increase the temperature by 1 degree. Next to it is the °C/°F button to switch from Celsius to Fahrenheit display.
On the right side of the readout is a Down Arrow, press it to lower the temperature setting by 1 degree.
Next to it is a button resembling the sun. This is the switch for the soft-blue interior LED light.
Remembers The Settings
The Temperature Memory is a useful feature if you leave in an area where power loss is frequent.
If there is a power outage the wine cooler will go back to the settings prior to it automatically.
TIP: When setting the temperature for the first time wait 24 hours before loading the cooler with bottles.
Placement Tips
The wine fridge ventilates in the front which allows for built-in installation. It looks especially impressive under a kitchen counter.
Do not block the ventilation grates in the bottom on the front. This is where the warm air comes out from the cabinet interior.
If you decide to place it under a counter or incorporate into existing furniture these are the dimensions you need to calculate with.
Dimensions & Weight
- Height: 33.9″
- Width: 11.6″
- Depth: 22.4″
- Weight: 63.9 lbs.(29 kg)
Suggested Built-In Dimensions:
- Width: 12″
- Height: 34.1″
- Depth: 22.4″
Level Positioning Is Important
Make sure you place the unit on an even, sturdy floor, away from direct sunlight!
The 2 front legs can be turned to adjust a horizontal height. (The unit has 4 legs, all of them can be removed though it is not recommended).
If the fridge is not level the shelves can rattle, causing noise and unnecessary vibration.
What’s To Like?
- Perfect for small, tight spaces, homes with limited room for big appliances (less than 12 inches wide).
- Front ventilation allows for built-in, undercounter placement.
- Top-quality compressor cooling with reduced vibration and noise. Sedimentation will not be stirred in the wine, so its taste and aroma will not change.
- Refined look with stainless finish door – it will highlight any home’s appearance.
- Has a safety lock with key (in the grille in the front). – You can lock up your prized bottles. Children for example cannot access your wines or open the door unnecessarily and let warm air in.
- Elegant beechwood shelves – lend a more sophisticated look than simple wire racks.
- Carbon filter to protect against odors (could get into the wine through the cork).
- Temperature memory feature – after a power failure it reverts back to the original settings.
Price & Warranty
- Price: cc. 480 – 500 USD (26.7 – 27.8 USD per bottle).
- Warranty: 1 year.
Features At A Glance
- Cooling method: compressor with internal fan for even air circulation.
- Number of zones: one
- Built-in/Freestanding: built in, fully finished so can be used as standalone.
- Temperature Control & Display: digital thermostat with touch button controls, white LED display .
- Temperature Range: 40 – 66°F (4.5 – 18°C) temp. range.
- Shelving: 6 slide-out beech wood shelves with stopper. All shelves are removable.
- Noise: Fairly silent.
- Electricity consumption: cc. 0.55 kWh/24 hour, that’s 200 kWh/year
Who Should Buy The Kalamera 18-Bottle Wine Cooler?
Wine aficionados looking for a narrow, built-in wine cellar will be happy with the Kalamera-KRC18SZB.
It boasts high-end exterior and the interior is similarly appealing with the wood shelves and the blue illumination. Fits perfectly in the place of a trash compactor under the counter.
The fridge is almost noiseless and doesn’t vibrate either so the wines won’t be disturbed. The charcoal filter will keep the interior odorless, another quality protection for your wines.
It has a wide enough temperature range so you can chill in it whites or just set it to 55 °F and store reds. Two other great features are the lockable door and the Temperature Memory Function.
All these at 500 USD or less if you can catch a good deal on it!
A perfect choice for a first home wine storage unit. But those who already have a larger wine refrigerator will find it useful as a serving/chilling cabinet.
Summary
All in all, the Kalamera KRC-18SZB is one of the better-value small capacity wine coolers available in 2022.
Besides the basic specifics, it comes with some extra features that make it a great buy at its price.
Where To Buy?
Several stores – both brick & mortar and online – sell this mini fridge: Wayfair – Lowes
