Head-to-head · Best Wine Coolers

Magic Chef HMWC44DZ 44-Bottle Dual-Zone Wine Cooler vs Wine Enthusiast Classic 80 Wine Cellar

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 and Wine Enthusiast Classic 80 Wine Cellar score essentially the same (4.4 vs 4.4). Pick the one whose trade-offs match your priorities — the strengths and watch-outs below are where they actually differ.

Ranked #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 →

Ranked #3 in Best Wine Coolers

Wine Enthusiast Classic 80 Wine Cellar

4.4

1 sourceall derived$1,499as of Oct 15

The Classic 80 is Wine Enthusiast's single-zone wine cellar, sold as an 80-bottle unit. Bon Appétit picked it as the best large wine fridge after weeks of use, praising its quiet running, sturdy UV-protected glass door and smooth-gliding shelves, and calling the line solid value next to pricier models. The catch is capacity: the most the tester could fit without removing all the shelves or tearing labels was 53 bottles.

Strengths

— Quieter than most of the fridges Bon Appétit tested
— UV-protected glass door feels sturdy, per Bon Appétit
— Wood-trimmed black wire shelves glide in and out smoothly even when loaded, per Bon Appétit

Watch-outs

— Bon Appétit fit 53 bottles, not 80, without removing all the shelves or tearing labels
— Five-foot cord is relatively short, per Bon Appétit

$1,499 · Buy at wineenthusiast.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

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.

Wine Enthusiast Classic 80 Wine Cellar

The largest cooler on the page by stated capacity, though Bon Appétit fit 53 bottles in it, not far above the 46 of the NewAir AWR-460DB and the 44 of the Magic Chef HMWC44DZ. Those two are dual-zone units; the Classic 80 has one zone. Bon Appétit tested it in the same guide as the eight-bottle Cuisinart Private Reserve, its countertop pick.

Specs side-by-side

Spec	Magic Chef HMWC44DZ 44-Bottle Dual-Zone Wine Cooler	Wine Enthusiast Classic 80 Wine Cellar
Model	HMWC44DZ	—
Capacity	44 bottles (16 top, 28 bottom)	—
Zones	Dual	Single
Temperature Range	41-61°F	—
Install Type	Built-in or freestanding	—
Door	Stainless steel door and handle	UV-protected glass
Controls	Electronic temperature control with LED display	—
Stated Capacity	—	80 bottles (53 fit in Bon Appétit's test)
Shelves	—	Wood-trimmed black wire
Power Cord	—	5 feet
Warranty	—	1 year entire appliance, 3 years mechanical parts

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