Head-to-head · Best Wine Coolers

Cuisinart Private Reserve 8-Bottle Wine Cellar (CWC-800CEN) vs Magic Chef HMWC44DZ 44-Bottle Dual-Zone Wine Cooler

Which is the better buy? Side-by-side on rating, price, strengths, and watch-outs — with the published ratings we averaged to get there.

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The short answer

Magic Chef HMWC44DZ 44-Bottle Dual-Zone Wine Cooler comes out ahead by a clear margin (4.4 vs 4.0). Magic Chef HMWC44DZ 44-Bottle Dual-Zone Wine Cooler is best for: Under-counter or bar installs where sturdiness and capacity for the price come first. Read the strengths below before deciding.

Ranked #4 in Best Wine Coolers

Cuisinart Private Reserve 8-Bottle Wine Cellar (CWC-800CEN)

4.0

1 sourceall derived$229.95as of Oct 11

Cuisinart's Private Reserve is an eight-bottle, single-zone cooler small enough for a countertop. Bon Appétit picked it as the best countertop wine fridge after using it over a period of weeks: it is extremely quiet, has adjustable shelves and gets the job done for someone who keeps only a few wines around. The complaints are that the screen shows the target temperature and not the actual one, and that eight bottles is not many.

Strengths

— Measures 10.5 by 17.5 by 17.25 inches, a smaller footprint than many microwaves per Bon Appétit
— Adjustable shelves and a single zone that sets from 39°F to 68°F, per Bon Appétit
— Limited three-year warranty

Watch-outs

— Screen displays the target temperature, not the actual temperature, which Bon Appétit says can be misleading
— Eight bottles is not very many, per Bon Appétit
— Warranty covers defects but not household wear and tear, per Bon Appétit

$229.95 · Buy at cuisinart.com Full review →

Higher ratedRanked #2 in Best Wine Coolers

Magic Chef HMWC44DZ 44-Bottle Dual-Zone Wine Cooler

4.4

1 sourceall derived$698as of Oct 15

The Magic Chef HMWC44DZ is a 44-bottle, dual-zone cooler with a stainless steel door and shelves that installs built-in or freestanding. Reviewed tested it in its refrigerator lab and names it one of its two favorite wine coolers, calling it a sturdy wine fridge with reliable shelving and good storage capacity. It ran 1°F to 4°F warm in Reviewed's temperature tests, its shelves do not adjust, and testers heard a small hum.

Strengths

— Named one of Reviewed's two favorite wine coolers after lab testing
— Sturdy: Reviewed never doubted the stainless-steel shelves would support the bottles
— Reviewed was impressed with the number of bottles it holds for its price

Watch-outs

— Ran a little warm in Reviewed's tests: zones set to 60°F and 55°F held wine at 61°F to 62°F and 58°F to 59°F
— No adjustable shelving, and fitting different size bottles took some maneuvering, per Reviewed
— Reviewed noted a small hum that the more silent models it tested did not have

$698 · Buy at homedepot.com Full review →

Derived means the reviewer published no score, so one was inferred from their written verdict. Everything else is a number the publisher printed. How we rank.

How they stack up

Cuisinart Private Reserve 8-Bottle Wine Cellar (CWC-800CEN)

The smallest cooler on the page: eight bottles against 44 for the Magic Chef HMWC44DZ, 46 for the NewAir AWR-460DB and a stated 80 for the Wine Enthusiast Classic 80. It is a single-zone unit like the Classic 80, where the NewAir and Magic Chef have two zones. Bon Appétit tested it in the same guide as the Classic 80.

Magic Chef HMWC44DZ 44-Bottle Dual-Zone Wine Cooler

Reviewed tested this Magic Chef and the NewAir AWR-460DB in the same lab. It called the Magic Chef sturdy and a favorite and faulted the NewAir's outer shell; the Magic Chef also held closer to its settings (1°F to 4°F warm against about 5°F). The NewAir answers with pull-out wood shelves and two more bottles of capacity (46 against 44). The Cuisinart Private Reserve holds eight bottles, and the Wine Enthusiast Classic 80 is a single-zone cabinet.

Specs side-by-side

Spec	Cuisinart Private Reserve 8-Bottle Wine Cellar (CWC-800CEN)	Magic Chef HMWC44DZ 44-Bottle Dual-Zone Wine Cooler
Model	CWC-800CEN	HMWC44DZ
Capacity	8 bottles	44 bottles (16 top, 28 bottom)
Zones	Single	Dual
Temperature Range	39-68°F	41-61°F
Cooling	Thermoelectric	—
Install Type	Countertop	Built-in or freestanding
Dimensions	10.5"L x 17.5"W x 17.25"H	—
Weight	Less than 30 pounds, per Bon Appétit	—
Racks	3 contoured chrome racks for 750ml or 1500ml bottles	—
Warranty	3-year limited	—
Door	—	Stainless steel door and handle
Controls	—	Electronic temperature control with LED display

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