@thismyusername it's more like $2.75 buck chuck now, to be honest I think it's pretty decent. Someone once told me there is a wide range in quality because it's made from various vineyards 'leftover' grapes [citation needed].
@JonT It is basically box wine, but in a bottle. The Charles Shaw label (2 buck Chuck) is owned by the Bronco Wine Company, which is headed by Fred Franzia, formerly of Franzia Brothers wines. The Franzia brand today has no business relationship with Fred Franzia or the Bronco Wine Company, but the business models are similar (almost identical except for box versus bottle). Franzia sold the brand to Coca-Cola in 1973 when Fred Franzia was in his early adult years and Fred began buying grape contract all over California. It isn't truly winery "leftover", it is contracted many years in advance. Bronco and The Wine Group (which now owns Franzia) compete for the same, identical contract grapes. This accounts for slight quality variances in year to year production. BTW - 2 buck Chuck now averages $2.49 a bottle according to Trader Joe's latest annual report. They sell ONLY Bronco wine and they're up to moving almost 6 million cases a year.
Re: the price of "2 buck Chuck" - I don't know how Trader Joe's can say they average $2.49 across the chain unless I'm missing something, because I rarely see it on sale at less than $3 - and usually at $3.49 - so maybe they are not including local and state taxes in that number . . . I dunno.
@khunjeff Yeah, I figured it was average "retail" without the price being inflated by tax - and yes, now that you've reminded me, I have noticed the price is less in California and Arizona. Thanks!
@Moose Thanks for that info. I see its thermoelectric not compressor. So that makes sense for the price. But thermoelectric doesnt work with being in a cabinet so I have to pass. Thanks though!
If you've ever stored your tomatoes in the fridge, you may have noticed a change in both their taste and texture. This isn't a coincidence but rather is a direct result of the cold temperatures on the tomato's volatiles (and texture). Researchers in France have revealed that storing a tomato at room temperature (68 degrees F) allows it to not only maintain its existing volatiles but also to produce more of them.
This implies that the flavor of a tomato left to ripen on the counter will only continue to improve (to a point, of course). If you want your tomatoes to continue to ripen, the ideal temperature range is 65-70 degrees F (although temperatures of 57-61 degrees F are often used for "slow ripening" when tomatoes are in transit).
On the other hand, when a tomato was stored at refrigerator temperature (39 degrees F) during the study, its volatiles begin to break down. Volatiles associated with green and grassy notes were those hardest hit, which explains why refrigerated tomatoes lack that fresh-picked flavor.
The researchers noted: "Storing tomatoes at 4°C [39 degrees F] induced a drastic loss in volatiles, whatever their biosynthetic origin. After 30 days at 4°C, the concentration of volatiles had decreased by 66%… Storing tomatoes at fridge temperature, even for short durations, was detrimental for their aroma."
So - when you want a chilled tomato but you don't want to kill the flavor - or if you need to stop the ripening process without killing the taste, this unit offered here today at Meh will come in quite handy. Otherwise, no, it won't keep your beer cold enough - pass.
@mamawoot I discovered this fun fact a few years ago when harvesting the tomatoes from the backyard and when running out of room to store them on the windowsill and countertops, I used the wine cooler set to 60 - never had a bottle of wine in that cooler again - this trick allows them to last longer and retain their "home-grown" fresh taste. When it matters - it REALLY matters.
@Pavlov I must be missing something. Why not just set the home thermostat for the kitchen zone at 68F and leave the tomatoes on the counter? ...Thereby eliminating the need for this silly contraption.
@eyewerks This is more consistent in holding the temperature lower - when you need to substantially slow the ripening process by dropping them to about 58-60 F.
@Pavlov Yeah you're dead on we discovered this little fact when I was working at an Italian restaurant. We had our own garden and grew our own tomatoes. We ran out of room storing them and stored them in our wine cellar and quickly discovered this trick. Now we always store them there.
@Pavlov Really I'm glad I have figured out why I like Fridge tomotoes but not the on the vine ones you get at the grocery store. The grassy taste is a turn off to me. It's too much like a cucumber (Which I'm allergic to.) Where as Pickles I love, there is some enzyme that they have determined that I'm alergic to. Canned peaches = <3 fresh peaches = miserable scratchy throat.
@uwacn that's kind of a weird question, like I get where you're coming from because it seems like something like this could store mason jars, but we don't happen to have a bunch of mason jars laying around so at best I would have to estimate.
Cosmic. This Sunday I was looking at my friends' wine cooler and thinking I would love to have one but it's so big. The space under my kitchen cupboards is short. And then here we are with a short model. Thanks!
the reviews are in - it's a junk product, johnny. hey pitamuffin, i'd try to drown my sorrows in eight bottles of wine, but the wine would likely be too warm
Prompting us to give up our dreams of what might be an impossible goal, like a wine cellar, is one thing. But offering this as an alternative is too jarring. Like saying, hey you're never going to get that Porsche you've always dreamed of, why not drive this overpriced Yugo? This doesn't quite meet the need. Scalability seems to be factor too, for less than 3x the price of this you can get a pretty nice cooler that holds almost 4x as much wine.
@PocketBrain No, I didn't think they'd be covering the cool side, but if there's insulation that's keeping the thing from running warm, that heat has to be staying somewhere… somewhere like the part you're trying to make cool. Anyway, I don't really care all that much, but glad it doesn't heat your space up much.
Thanks for reminding me that my dreams of being rich and powerful were a total failure, Meh!
Oh well... at least I'm not crazy enough to get this horrible wine cooling thing after reading the reviews. I used to have a mini soda refrigerator that also "worked" using a Peltier effect cooler, and it was equally worthless at keeping anything cold.
I own a 6 bottle version of this brand. Ignoring the reviews I thought it would be a good gift for the wife, however after about a month and a half of continuous use, the temp can't hold below 59 degrees which is a bit higher than we prefer. Seems to be a common issue.
I'm pretty sure some people aren't clear on how a Peltier cooler works; cold side inside the box, warm side outside the box, insulation to keep them apart. Result is a box that's cold inside. Also, the idea of a wine cooler; wine is cooler than ambient, not cold like inside the refrigerator. This way, maturation is delayed a little, and you can enjoy your wine at peak maturity. And remember, any appliance that requires cooling also requires cleaning; that dust will block heat transfer, warming up the inside of the cooler.
@PocketBrain The reviews suggest that these Peltier junctions can barely achieve a twelve degree temperature drop if given most of a day. There is no "cold" side, there is merely a "luke cool" side. The other side of the junction probably does probably get quite warm.
To do this job well, the device either needs a lot of surface area, or a lot of air flow. This product has neither, but it sure is quiet.
Specs
Condition: New
Warranty: 1 Year Wine Enthusiast
Estimated Delivery: 6/8 - 6/10
Shipping: $5 or free with VMP
What’s in the Box?
1x 8-bottle wine cooler
Pictures
Closed with light
Open
Top view
Price Comparison
$119.99 at eBay
Find a relevant price comparison? Please share it in a comment in this thread
Estimated Delivery
FedEx SmartPost: Monday, May 28th - Thursday, May 31st
stayed up till 12 for this? Meh
@zmsp yeah something to whine ( wine) about .. Naw off to bed
How many bottles of wine does it come with?
*not included according to the 2nd picture, but the first shows and bottle and doesn't have a disclaimer!
@Rstoker 0 bottles but if you give me $20 I'll pick ya up a few decent blends.
@JonT Are you gonna stock it full of 2 buck chuck?
@thismyusername it's more like $2.75 buck chuck now, to be honest I think it's pretty decent. Someone once told me there is a wide range in quality because it's made from various vineyards 'leftover' grapes [citation needed].
@JonT It is basically box wine, but in a bottle. The Charles Shaw label (2 buck Chuck) is owned by the Bronco Wine Company, which is headed by Fred Franzia, formerly of Franzia Brothers wines. The Franzia brand today has no business relationship with Fred Franzia or the Bronco Wine Company, but the business models are similar (almost identical except for box versus bottle). Franzia sold the brand to Coca-Cola in 1973 when Fred Franzia was in his early adult years and Fred began buying grape contract all over California. It isn't truly winery "leftover", it is contracted many years in advance. Bronco and The Wine Group (which now owns Franzia) compete for the same, identical contract grapes. This accounts for slight quality variances in year to year production. BTW - 2 buck Chuck now averages $2.49 a bottle according to Trader Joe's latest annual report. They sell ONLY Bronco wine and they're up to moving almost 6 million cases a year.
@thismyusername ... I likes my whine in cartons (hic!).
Re: the price of "2 buck Chuck" - I don't know how Trader Joe's can say they average $2.49 across the chain unless I'm missing something, because I rarely see it on sale at less than $3 - and usually at $3.49 - so maybe they are not including local and state taxes in that number . . . I dunno.
@Pavlov I'm sure they're not including taxes, and the price is also higher on the east coast than out west.
@khunjeff Yeah, I figured it was average "retail" without the price being inflated by tax - and yes, now that you've reminded me, I have noticed the price is less in California and Arizona. Thanks!
@JonT Last time I bought some at the Trader Joe's in Plano, it was 3-buck Chuck.
Dat Jones.
What is the electronic drum set that fine bearded man is using?
@JOJOBASS the drums are the "Ion Audio Illuminated Electronic Drum Kit"
https://meh.com/forum/topics/ion-audio-illuminated-electronic-drum-kit
Will this cool beer?
@thismyusername I came here to ask that very question.
@thismyusername warms it actually
@thismyusername only if you like your beer around a lukewarm 55 degrees according to the costco reviews
@alexpope well, depends on the beer. We use ours for our stouts and porters, each style of beer has it's optimal drinking temp. Def not for buds.
Shout out to Jones Soda
I'm in the market for a wine cooler, but that is a crazy high price for an 8 count. Meh.
@BIGMACneil Yeah, especially since you can buy a 12- bottle variety pack of Seagram's for about $12.
@eyewerks
Out of all the things on meh that I dont need/want, I dont need/want this the most.
Only shows a price comparison to eBay? Seems kinda pricy at $70 for only holding 8 bottles...
@whoopsijoined Amazon had it for $140 but it sold out yesterday : [
@Moose Thanks for that info. I see its thermoelectric not compressor. So that makes sense for the price. But thermoelectric doesnt work with being in a cabinet so I have to pass. Thanks though!
Good for apples in the office
Also, for anyone wondering, this is a thermoelectric model, not a compressor model.
Fuck the wine, I use mine for tomatoes.
If you've ever stored your tomatoes in the fridge, you may have noticed a change in both their taste and texture. This isn't a coincidence but rather is a direct result of the cold temperatures on the tomato's volatiles (and texture). Researchers in France have revealed that storing a tomato at room temperature (68 degrees F) allows it to not only maintain its existing volatiles but also to produce more of them.
This implies that the flavor of a tomato left to ripen on the counter will only continue to improve (to a point, of course). If you want your tomatoes to continue to ripen, the ideal temperature range is 65-70 degrees F (although temperatures of 57-61 degrees F are often used for "slow ripening" when tomatoes are in transit).
On the other hand, when a tomato was stored at refrigerator temperature (39 degrees F) during the study, its volatiles begin to break down. Volatiles associated with green and grassy notes were those hardest hit, which explains why refrigerated tomatoes lack that fresh-picked flavor.
The researchers noted: "Storing tomatoes at 4°C [39 degrees F] induced a drastic loss in volatiles, whatever their biosynthetic origin. After 30 days at 4°C, the concentration of volatiles had decreased by 66%… Storing tomatoes at fridge temperature, even for short durations, was detrimental for their aroma."
So - when you want a chilled tomato but you don't want to kill the flavor - or if you need to stop the ripening process without killing the taste, this unit offered here today at Meh will come in quite handy. Otherwise, no, it won't keep your beer cold enough - pass.
@Pavlov I have a less than zero need for this...until I read your post. Now I have to think about it. Thanks bunches.
@Pavlov But I can't get drunk on tomatoes.
@mamawoot I discovered this fun fact a few years ago when harvesting the tomatoes from the backyard and when running out of room to store them on the windowsill and countertops, I used the wine cooler set to 60 - never had a bottle of wine in that cooler again - this trick allows them to last longer and retain their "home-grown" fresh taste. When it matters - it REALLY matters.
@Pavlov I must be missing something. Why not just set the home thermostat for the kitchen zone at 68F and leave the tomatoes on the counter? ...Thereby eliminating the need for this silly contraption.
@eyewerks This is more consistent in holding the temperature lower - when you need to substantially slow the ripening process by dropping them to about 58-60 F.
@bakeyoural
Not with that attitude.
@Pavlov Yeah you're dead on we discovered this little fact when I was working at an Italian restaurant. We had our own garden and grew our own tomatoes. We ran out of room storing them and stored them in our wine cellar and quickly discovered this trick. Now we always store them there.
@Pavlov Really I'm glad I have figured out why I like Fridge tomotoes but not the on the vine ones you get at the grocery store. The grassy taste is a turn off to me. It's too much like a cucumber (Which I'm allergic to.) Where as Pickles I love, there is some enzyme that they have determined that I'm alergic to. Canned peaches = <3 fresh peaches = miserable scratchy throat.
@bakeyoural Ferment them!
@Pavlov http://politicsoftheplate.com/?page_id=831
@connorbush Wow, I had no idea tomatoes were so controversial.
A waste of counter space, sorry. Meh!
@Stallion yes agree
@Stallion You put yours on the counter?
@sohmageek IF I had this cooler, yes, they would be on my counter in this fridge.
Peltier cooler; also makes a fine space heater.
Found some reviews at costco.. the 2nd reviews title cracked me up...
http://reviews.costco.com/2070/100114951/wine-enthusiast-wine-enthusiast-silent-8-bottle-countertop-wine-cooler-reviews/reviews.htm
3rd review: it's super quite!
@saodell Quiet alright!
how many mason jars will it hold?
@uwacn that's kind of a weird question, like I get where you're coming from because it seems like something like this could store mason jars, but we don't happen to have a bunch of mason jars laying around so at best I would have to estimate.
What the…?? This will only store 2 days worth of stock?
@haydesigner Wait... you can get 2 days out of 8 bottles?
Cosmic. This Sunday I was looking at my friends' wine cooler and thinking I would love to have one but it's so big. The space under my kitchen cupboards is short. And then here we are with a short model. Thanks!
@lera You're welcome!
@JonT That is... alarming. =:o
The meh face looks like the monopoly money man
@somf69 They should only be charging fake money for the fake wine cooler.
@somf69 or is it Julius Pringles?
I would definitely buy this if it was cheap.
Wish I had know it was wine cooler tonight.. I'd have already gone to bed had I known it meh
I'm not ready to give up my dreams of having a wine cellar so I guess I'm not grown up enough to buy this.
Will it hold wine coolers? Got some vintage B&J's at my parents house.
@jmendenhall Funny, I got some vintage BJs at my parents house too.
Geez, the write up has me feeling like quite a loser. Maybe I could drown my sorrows in eight bottles of wine.
the reviews are in - it's a junk product, johnny. hey pitamuffin, i'd try to drown my sorrows in eight bottles of wine, but the wine would likely be too warm
Prompting us to give up our dreams of what might be an impossible goal, like a wine cellar, is one thing. But offering this as an alternative is too jarring. Like saying, hey you're never going to get that Porsche you've always dreamed of, why not drive this overpriced Yugo? This doesn't quite meet the need. Scalability seems to be factor too, for less than 3x the price of this you can get a pretty nice cooler that holds almost 4x as much wine.
I have a full mini-fridge size one of these. They run on Peltier coolers, no compressor.
@PocketBrain I would imagine that makes the surrounding area crazy fucking hot, then?
@brhfl no, not really. It's a low-power unit. Lower temperature differentials and good insulation permits that.
@PocketBrain Interesting. Insulating past the warm side of the Peltier seems counterproductive.
@brhfl Cold-side in the box, warm-side outside, insulation to separate them. They don't cover up the cooling element.
@PocketBrain No, I didn't think they'd be covering the cool side, but if there's insulation that's keeping the thing from running warm, that heat has to be staying somewhere… somewhere like the part you're trying to make cool. Anyway, I don't really care all that much, but glad it doesn't heat your space up much.
No Georgia Red. . . for that alone, meh.
Is it true that Hoffa was buried in one of these?
Think the "MEH-HEADS"have spoken 39 sold after 9.5 hours
MEEP-U-L8R
I'm too depressed to buy anything. Thanks for that.
Could I put my computer in this thing to keep it cold while I am using it?
I'm not sure why I it should be cold, but I think I heard someone say something like that one time.
Thanks for reminding me that my dreams of being rich and powerful were a total failure, Meh!
Oh well... at least I'm not crazy enough to get this horrible wine cooling thing after reading the reviews. I used to have a mini soda refrigerator that also "worked" using a Peltier effect cooler, and it was equally worthless at keeping anything cold.
I LOVE WINE!!!!!!
I think I paid less for my 18 tower wine coolers.
okay California WE GET IT, YOU'RE WINE COUNTRY
This is the Mehist of Mehs.
I own a 6 bottle version of this brand. Ignoring the reviews I thought it would be a good gift for the wife, however after about a month and a half of continuous use, the temp can't hold below 59 degrees which is a bit higher than we prefer. Seems to be a common issue.
I'm pretty sure some people aren't clear on how a Peltier cooler works; cold side inside the box, warm side outside the box, insulation to keep them apart. Result is a box that's cold inside. Also, the idea of a wine cooler; wine is cooler than ambient, not cold like inside the refrigerator. This way, maturation is delayed a little, and you can enjoy your wine at peak maturity. And remember, any appliance that requires cooling also requires cleaning; that dust will block heat transfer, warming up the inside of the cooler.
@PocketBrain The reviews suggest that these Peltier junctions can barely achieve a twelve degree temperature drop if given most of a day. There is no "cold" side, there is merely a "luke cool" side. The other side of the junction probably does probably get quite warm.
To do this job well, the device either needs a lot of surface area, or a lot of air flow. This product has neither, but it sure is quiet.
I would purchase this if it were $15 or less.
Bath?
8:51 PST, 93 sold. I guess we know what's coming in the next fuku!
@Mehntok I got mine in a Fuku yesterday!