Is this a good buy?

[grannytsb]

I found a Vintage Keeper 220 btl wine cellar for $699......... Is this a good buy ? A good product? I also found a Vintage Keeper for 1100$ 500 btl...


Any advice would be appreciated.


Thanks
Granny

 

[Tom]

Better find out the shipping to you. Be careful when buying from ebay and what they charge for shipping and insuarence. Will THEY guarantee it or are you on your own.


Will you be making enough wine to "age in it? And where do you want to keep it.

 

[gaudet]

Granny I had a vintage keeper I got from craigslist. It was a 500 bottle model. The cooling unit did not work, but I only paid $100 for the cellar. It was a mastodon. It was 28 inches deep by almost 4 feet wide.
Make sure you have a place for something like that. I didn't and I ended up giving it away on craigslist. I just couldn't keep it as much as I'd have liked to. The best place I could have put it was in the garage, but thats not a temp controlled environment. And I still would have needed to replace the cooling unit.

I also wasn't impressed with their craftsmanship..... The units casings are made of particle board. Way too damn much money retail for what the product actually is...............

 

[grannytsb]

I checked with a freight company (someone I know) and the shipping is VERY reasonable. It is new and carries a 1 yr warranty. I do have a place to put it inside the house but was not sure if it was a good buy or not. I am a bit afraid that the humidity here will ruin my hard work ! Maybe I am worrying for nothing.

Granny

 

[Tom]

I checked with a freight company (someone I know) and the shipping is VERY reasonable. It is new and carries a 1 yr warranty. I do have a place to put it inside the house but was not sure if it was a good buy or not. I am a bit afraid that the humidity here will ruin my hard work ! Maybe I am worrying for nothing.

Granny

I make 1,000 bottles a year and I only have a 48 bottle cooler. The rest is aging gracefully in my basement. Just my 2¢ worth

 

[grannytsb]

Don't have a basement here in south Louisiana, Outside humidity levels range from 80-100%. I just want to be sure it will age with no problems. Is there a preservative to put in the wine before bottling?


Granny

 

[gaudet]

granny, if you can't store it year round in something that keeps the temp and humidity of a cellar the next best thing I have been told is to just keep it in your closet in a controlled environment. The main thing that affects the wine is large temperature changes. Maybe I am being over simplistic, but as long as I keep my house a happy comfortable 70-77 degrees year round I don't think I'm going to worry about it too much.

 

[Wade E]

K-meta is what comes with the kits but you should have more on hand as that is what you should b using to sanitize everything that touches your wine and we also add an extra 1/4 tsp per 6 gallon batch for added security for storing wine. Look at the bottom of the Winexpert instruction manual that came with your kit.

 

[grannytsb]

Will do............I keep the house about 65. I just checked our weather station and it says my closet is 28% humidity. Of course its clear and cold tonight, but maybe the wine will fair just fine..........


thanks
Granny

 

[smurfe]

Granny, how do youkeep the house in the hot months ( the other 11 months of the year)? I live in the same town as you if you hadn't seen in your intro post. I keep my wines in the living room in a wine rack. We do keep the temps in here pretty constant year round and our living room area is fairly dark. Now if you have the space and cash for one of those units, they are pretty nice but not really necessary here in Gonzo. There are other things you can do to protect your wines such as different types of corks.

 

[grannytsb]

The house is usually in the range of 68-75 year round. We don't like heat to sleep so its usually 62-65 in winter. I have the room for a cellar but don't want to make a purchase I don't need. Rather save it for more wine kits !


Granny

 

[gaudet]

Well, I guess the biggest question is how much wine do you intend to produce annually? If you are looking to make 100 gallons then you need to have storage for 500 bottles. In 3 years that figure goes to 1500 (providing you don't drink any of it, yeah right

)

 

[Tom]

The house is usually in the range of 68-75 year round. We don't like heat to sleep so its usually 62-65 in winter. I have the room for a cellar but don't want to make a purchase I don't need. Rather save it for more wine kits !


Granny

Granny,
You just said the the final word


"Rather save it for more wine kits ! "


Do it !