NewAir 46 Bottle Built-In Wine Cooler Review, AWR-460DB

Dual Zone Model with Compressor Cooling –

Are your a wine enthusiast? Do you already have a collection of your favorite bottles you don’t know where to store? The NewAir 46-bottle wine cooler will solve your problem. It comes with lots of great features not to mention the pleasing look and budget price.

If you can find space in your kitchen to slot the cooler in, flush with the cabinetry and other appliances, you can do with this NewAir wine fridge, since it is front vented. Moreover it has two independently controlled temperature zones giving you the freedom of keeping full-bodied reds at 61°F, and chill nice, fruity Rieslings at 43°F.

See our detailed review, and summary of pros and cons mentioned by owners.

Full Review – NewAir AWR-460DB Built-In Wine Cooler

Look and Style

The cabinet has black matte finish with stainless steel front grille and black interior. The stainless steel frame of the dual pane, tinted glass door lends a refined, modern appearance that will look stunning in a kitchen or bar area. The door has a curved stainless steel handle for easy opening. The door can be locked with the key that comes with the unit.

The unstained wood shelves hold the bottles securely while adding a bit of warmth to the overall sleek look. The interior LED light displays your collection in cool blue.

The digital controls and display screen further accentuate the modern design.

Shelving

The 5 wood shelves slide out smoothly providing easy access to your bottles. Shelves can be pulled all the way out should you want to remove one of two two make room for larger, non-standard shape bottles.

The two racks of the top compartment hold 16 bottles (8-8 on each shelf 3 bottles with the bottom facing out two the other way round) while you can fit in 30 bottles in the lower zone that contains three shelves.

Setting the Temperature

The control panel is in the divider between the two sections. It contains push button digital controls and the temperature display for each zone. The upper zone can be controlled with the Up and Down Arrows on the the left side in the range of 40 – 50°F, while the right side buttons are for setting the temperature in the lower zone from 50°F to 64°F.

The display screen includes several indicators: actual and set temperatures in both zones, internal light status and a couple of more.

Features at a Glance

Capacity: 46 standard size and shape bottles

Design:
- Cabinet: matte black, black interior, leveling legs, stainless steel front grille
- Door: dual pane and magnetically sealed for thermal insulation,slightly tinted for UV protection,
- has stainless steel trim
- swings to the left but can be reversed
- easy-grip curved metal handle,
- lock with key
- reversible
- soft blue LED interior lighting
Cooling method: compressor with CFC, HCFC-free coolant

Number of zones: two

Built-in/Freestanding: built in, fully finished so can be used as free-standing

Temperature Control & Display: digital thermostat with push button controls, blue LED display
- Temperature Range: upper zone: 40 – 50°F (5 – 10°C), lower zone: 50 – 64°F (10 – 18°C)

Shelving: 5 roll-out wood shelves

Noise: a bit noisy according to some users, others say it is fairly quiet.

Electricity consumption: 140 Watts (cc. 1,68 kWh/24 hours)

Dimensions (H x W x D): 33″ x 23.4″ x 22.4″)

Weight: 103 lbs

Price: $850 – $900 ($18.5 – 19.6/bottle)

Warranty: 1 year limited

Placement Tips

As with any other wine fridge, find a level area with firm flooring that will able to support the cooler fully loaded (the adjustable front legs are a nice feature to . Pay attention also to placing the unit away from direct sunlight or other heat resources.

The wine fridge ventilates in the front so you can install it as built-in leaving minimal space around the sides (1/2″).

Summary – Why Buy (or Not Buy)?

Buy If:

you want to spend less than $1000 on a wine storage cooler to keep your wines at ideal serving temperature

the dual zone feature is a must for you since you love both reds and whites

want to build it in cabinetry

you prefer compressor cooling that is not too loud and maintains temperature evenly

you like attractive, flashy looking appliances that your friends/relatives/neighbor don’t have yet

Don’t Buy

want to age your full-bodied reds

Newair 46 Bottle Built-In Wine Cooler – AWR-460DB