If you’re in the market for an affordable home wine cooler, you have likely given some thought to the various Avanti Wine Cooler models. Their smaller coolers are carried by retail stores such as Target, so the price point tends to be pretty attractive compared to their higher-end competitors. Before making a purchase decision, be aware of what these coolers are as well as what they aren’t.

Avanti coolers are made in China. They have been built from the start to be low-cost models – they tend to be the lowest cost coolers on the market. Because of this, when compared to higher-priced models, there are some substantial shortcomings. These shortcomings could be just an annoyance, but some may lead to continual problems with the unit or even damage to your wine collection.

First, their compressor-based units tend to be noisy. They aren’t quite as loud as the Danby units, but in most cases they will be the loudest appliance in your home. Often the units have small coolant leaks from the factory. These leaks will cause the unit to stop cooling – sometimes in as little as six months, sometimes in 18 months. Unfortunately, while the actual compressor is covered by their warranty, the coolant leaks aren’t. It can be difficult if not impossible to find a company willing to repair an Avanti cooler. These two things could make your inexpensive wine cooler worthless in a very short period of time.

Their thermoelectric units are very quiet, but they have other issues. As is the case with all thermoelectric units, they have difficulty reaching and maintaining a fixed temperature. They do best at reaching a 20-degree differential between the outside of the cooler and the inside. If your home is cool, they can keep your wines at or near the ideal temperature. Otherwise, the bottles will not be optimally stored. The thermoelectric cooling is really only a feature of some of their smaller units, and they should be thought of as “wine chillers” as opposed to wine storage units.

From the smallest cooler to their largest 166-bottle storage unit, none of the Avanti coolers are meant to be high-end appliances. They have plastic trim, are made from thinner metal, and they just wouldn’t match the decor in a luxury home. If you’re wanting a wine cooler to fit in with your expensive cabinets, I’d go with a higher-end model. They are built to fit the smallest (burgundy) wine bottles and anything larger will cause inefficient use of space. In any mixed-wine collection, don’t expect to fill it anywhere near the stated capacity (in one case, a purchaser of the 166-bottle cooler was only able to fit 100 bottles).

If you’re looking for an inexpensive wine chiller that can cool a dozen bottles without taking up your whole refrigerator, their small units might fit the bill. Of course, they might not last more than a year or two, so you’ll have to weight the cost versus the life of the unit. On the other hand, if you’re wanting to keep and display your expensive wine collection in optimal conditions similar to those found in an underground wine cellar, I would recommend passing on the Avanti Wine Cooler and choosing a more reliable model that was actually made for long-term wine storage.