wine cellar/refridgerator

[hotwine]

Welcome to the board, Alex.<BR>The temp in the Haier 34-bottle unit that I have actually fluctuates about a mean; so if you set the thermostat to 57F, it will cycle from a low of about 54F to a high of 61F, more of less. And there is indeed a variation from the top to the bottom shelf; I've not measured it, but just placed a Radio Shack gauge in there to obtain a reading on the top shelf, and it now reads 63F; the thermostat is set on 57F. I don't use the Haier for long-term storage because of its temperature instability.<P>The ideal storage temperature for wines, both white and red, is 55-57F, with 60-70% humidity. It's the serving temperatures for each that are different, with whites generally being served at cooler temps than reds. So if you want your wines to be near serving temperatures at all times, you could place your whites on the lower shelves of the Haier, and your reds on the upper shelves; although most reds benefit from a serving temp in the 60-65 range, and many whites are better in the 50-55 range. So the Haier won't give you ideal serving conditions for either, but most Haier users are probably happy enough with their performance. (My comments only apply to the 34-bottle unit; have no experience with any other Haier model.)<P>(Placed a Burgundy on the top shelf this afternoon to serve with grilled salmon tonight, so the temp variance will be put to good use.)