WineCooler4U.com

Our relationship with Howard Miller to offer their wine furniture and wine racks is completed and we are preparing data to bring them to you. 

Now, with Howard Miller's wine and bar furnishings you can take your home entertainment up a notch with their new line of finely crafted wine and bar furniture. You'll find beautiful cabinetry, elegant finishes, and quality details from top to bottom of any style you choose. And due to popular demand, you'll also find many more cabinets to choose from.  Included in their offerings are: Consoles, Hide-A-Ba's, Modular, Wine & Storage Cabinets, Wine & Bar Accessories, and Bars & Bar Stool.

Here is a typical Howard Miller wine bar.  Notice the luxurous look.  It would fit very well in most decors.

Typical Howard Miller traditionally styled wine furniture.

The number of products on this site is growing.  A month ago, Jenn-Air and Marvel wine refrigerators were added.  Plans are evolving for the addition of Howard Miller wine furniture, Summit Appliance wine refrigerators, Vinotemp wine racks and Sun Pen Town wine storage products.  Watch for more information in the near future.

As an ongoing part of our interest in owning and selling wine coolers/refrigerators, we have begun an investigation of the topic of their reliabilty.  Little did we know how hard this was going to be.  As near as we can tell at this time there is no published data on the subject from the manufacturers.  So, what are we to do?  We can infer something from our experience with our kitchen refrigerators, we think.  We all know they last a long time.  So, will our wine cooler last a long time?  It would seem so, but, alas, no facts.

Our planned approach to this issue is to begin collecting information from forums on the topic and, then, if we are fortunate, compile it into some meaningful form.  There is risk with this for one major reason.  We all know, from our experiences, that the people who make their opinion "loudly" known tend to be those who have had a negative experiences.  The masses of the happy owners of items tend to just get on with life.  So, this information could all turn out to be negative.  What would we do with that information?  Don't know at this time. Certainly, publishing a pile of numbers that all reflected a negative view, likely about every product on the market, wouldn't do anyone any good.  We will wait and see how it evolves. 

We can make a couple of observations about the subject.  One, the thermoelectric units, with their two moving parts (motor and fan), can be expected to be more reliable.  As a practical matter, the thermoelectric technology is used only in the smaller units.  And, the word "quality" can be an ellusive one to understand.  Investigate the word "quality" and you will quickly find out that it is not a word with a single definition that can be applied to all products equally. Thus, it is difficult to know what a manufacturer means when they state that their products are "high quality".

So, we are beginning our venture on this subject.  If we are successful, the results will be reported here and in our "Wine Cooler Guide 4U" obtainable at the www.winecooler4u.com.

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During the past week a few significant events have occurred.  The store structure is solid and working throughout.  About 30 products made by Vinotemp International, our first supplier are validated.

Yesterday, we completed an exhaustive keyword analysis that identified applicable keywords that tended to focus on less trafficed terms with the idea that we could rise in the search rankings more quickly by avoiding having to go head-to-head with the big names.

Last Friday, we posted our first eBay auction.  This auction was for an eBook that advises how to select, install and maintain a wine refrigerator.  If anyone is interested in this ebook they can get it for free at the store, www.winecooler4u.com or by purchasing it on ebay.  Purchasing on eBay has the advantage of getting an additional 5% discount at the store.  So, for a unit that costs more than $100, the eBay approach represents a price reduction.  The first auction ended on Sunday with no takers.  Oh well!  Moving on, we changed the wording of the auction, and added a Buy Now to it.  Further, we added a Fixed Price auction (Buy Now with no auction alternative) to find out if eBay visitors perhaps preferred that approach.

Last night, we started our study of using an eZine (online magazine or newsletter) as a marketing approach.  It has potential but needs traffic at the store in order to build a mailing list.

Another event occurred at the end of the day.  We are entering a phase to establish in-bound links and to quickly increase the number of visitors to the store.

I did not realize how much has occurred in the past week.

Traffic is appearing.

We are now in contact with three more wine refrigerator makers.  One has accepted us as an online dealer.  We are confident the other two will agree to having us as well.  It is much easier to talk to a supplier now that we have our store up and running with a successful appearance.

So, you like wine, or worse, you love wine!  No wine should be drunk at room temperature, often referred to as the ambient temperature.  For the most part, room (ambient) temperature is about 72° F (22° C).  The conventional wisdom is that red wine should be drunk at room temperature.  Correct?  Well, yes, this is the belief - but it is wrong. Red wines, such as cabernet sauvignon, Bordeaux, syrah/shiraz, and red Burgundy should be drunk at 63° and 64° F (17° C).  The proper temperature for drinking these red wines is 8 to 9 degrees less than room temperature, a very noticeable difference.  Drunk too warm and a red wine will taste flat, losing its freshness and many of its characteristic aromas and flavors.  Drunk too cold and it will be harsh, tasting bitter and more astringent on the palate.  A red wine that is too warm will taste of alcohol instead of fruit, it may even taste bitter or vinegary.  A white wine served too cold will taste more acidic, less fruity and sweet.  Drunk at the recommended temperature, and you will get the tasting experience intended by the winemaker.

The most popular whites - chardonnay, sauvignon blanc,  reisling - are recommended to be drunk at 47° and 48° F (8° and 9° C).  Clearly, now we are a long way from room temperature.  What’s the solution?  Well, for most people the solution is the refrigerator.  Ut Oh!  How long do I leave it in to get to 48° F?  If I stored it in the refrigerator, the temperature when removed will be 37° F (2° C) or close to it, also a long way from 48° F (9° C).  Ok, I’ll just let that refrigerator-stored wine warm up on the counter.  OK.  How long will it take?  Who knows?  I’ll guess.  10 minutes?  Am I right?  Who knows?

The lighter wines tend to “prefer” the cooler temperatures. The bolder wines tend toward the higher temperatures. Even the champagnes want a temperature well above a refrigerator.

• Wine Coolers are "cool"!  - They make a statement in your home.  Your friends and other visitors will want to know why you have it, and how you use it.
• Wine Coolers are "fun"! - Each time you talk about getting out a bottle of wine from your cooler, you will chuckle about which one to open.  Should it be white or red?  What are we having for dinner?  Is it a special evening or just an ordinary day.
• Wine Coolers are "convenient"!  - You don’t have to go to the store for a bottle of wine.  You have your every-day wines and your special wines in your cooler all the time.
• Wine Coolers give you lots of wine "choices"!  - You will have stocked lots of different wines in your cooler for any occasion.Wine Coolers can be "part of your home décor"!  -  Your wine cooler will enhance your décor.  Many of the wooden cabinets are handsome pieces of furniture.  And, the metal and stainless wine coolers are just as attractive with dark glass doors.