Nutrichef 15 Bottle Refrigerator Review

We purchased the Nutrichef 15 Bottle Refrigerator so our reviewer could put it to the test in their home bar. Read on for the full review.

The Bottom Line:

Nutrichef’s wine fridges are undeniably well-made products and come equipped with many positive features, including temperature regulation, easy assembly, and lack of noise/vibration. However, the fridge is a bit expensive compared to others on the market, and if your cellar is filled with mostly larger-shaped bottles, then the capacity of the fridge may go down even lower than 15. 

Pros: 

• Compact, easy to fit in small living spaces
• Freestanding; can be stored on the ground or on countertops  
• Quiet (no vibration noise) 
• Sleek design with optional LED light

Cons:

• Pricey for the size
• Tight fit for larger bottles (Burgundy shape vs. Bordeaux)
• Door can be finicky when bottles are on the bottom

Buy on Amazon, Around $289

Our Review

Storing wine at ideal cellar conditions can be a difficult feat, especially when living in tight, urban spaces. Thankfully, compact, easy-to-use wine fridges like Nutrichef’s exist. To ensure that wine remains in its best possible condition, placing your bottles in a small-yet-functional product, like the one featured here, is a great solution. We tested out Nutrichef’s 15 Bottle Refrigerator in Brooklyn to see how the fridge held up in small spaces. The answers are in! 

Installation

In terms of setting up the product, the assembly was next to nothing. The fridge itself weighs about 50 pounds, so carrying it up to our third-floor walk-up apartment was slightly difficult, though not impossible. Upon opening the box, the fridge essentially comes all in one piece and is ready to go as is, no assembly required—aside from the handle, which you don’t even really need in order for the fridge to function. Simply find a space near an outlet (the cord could honestly be a bit longer), plug it in, and you’re ready to go. 

Design

In terms of design, the Nutrichef fridges are as sleek as it gets. The fridge’s stainless steel doors are smooth and shiny, as well as easy to clean, making it perfect for small living spaces. Additionally, the product’s compact size renders it functional for both floor placement or tabletop/countertop use. We opted to place ours on the floor. 

The door of the wine fridge comes with reinforced glass, AKA, the product is completely sealed tight, which is a major pro in our book. Inside, the piece comes with four stainless steel racks that are durable and slide out easily, making them easy to remove and clean, should you care to do so. The product also claims that the racks are soft enough to ensure protection against label damage, though, with only a few weeks of use, we can’t confirm whether or not this long-term statement is true (however, judging by the texture of the racks, we believe it). 

Performance

Upon first use, we plugged the product in, threw some bottles into the fridge, and set the temperature to 58 degrees Fahrenheit. The fridge immediately began cooling down and reached its temperature rather quickly, which was essential for the day we plugged it in (almost 90 degrees outside in Brooklyn!) We attribute this speed to both the size of the fridge and the high quality of the product. 

The fridge comes with a few buttons up top, the most important of which are the up and down arrows for controlling temperature. Our fingers barely had to graze the buttons to adjust the temperature, which was an unnecessary but nice bonus. The fridge also comes with a light button, which, when pressed, equips an LED light to illuminate within the fridge. We personally don’t like that feature simply out of preference, though if you do, right on. The refrigerator also comes with a child safety lock on the control panel (one of the buttons), which forces the fridge to automatically lock after 20 seconds. We don’t have little ones at home, though if you do (and particularly, those who are interested in buttons, lights, and all of the sensory-stimulating things), this is also an added bonus. 

Features

The best feature about this product is hands-down its near-silent operation system. Many wine fridges hum, buzz, or make random vibration noises, but this fridge doesn’t make a peep. For those with children who nap, or even for those who work from home and prefer silence, this is crucial. The fridge’s easy-to-control temperature feature is also a positive, though if you purchase a wine fridge, this is always included.

We found the biggest cons with this product to be the price and size, specifically the price-to-size ratio. For example, a higher-end model from Crate and Barrel will run you about $600 for 30 bottles, which, although it ends up being a bit more expensive, is worth it in our book for the QPR ratio. In a similar price range, Whirlpool, Amada, and Frigidaire all offer 24-bottle options from $199-$249, which offer more storage for less than the cost of this one.

We also find that for those in the biz, or even just for those who consider themselves avid wine drinkers, the capacity of the product is rather small. If you’re someone who buys one case of wine at a time and doesn’t purchase anything further until you’ve run through your original purchase, then this product could be a good fit for you. However, if you tend to buy bundles of wine here and there, or even belong to numerous wine clubs that send shipments at similar times, this product may not provide enough storage space for your collection.  

Cleaning

Overall, the product is rather easy to clean. Simply use any all-purpose surface cleaner on the top and side of the product to remove dust or spills. For the glass door, we recommend using a glass-specific cleaner, such as Windex. To polish the wine racks inside, simply remove the racks and use any stainless steel-safe solution and wipe with a microfiber rag or paper towel. 

Temperature Control 

With regards to Nutrichef’s 15 Bottle Wine Refrigerator, as well as all wine refrigerators in general, the product is meant to be used more like a cellar than an actual refrigerator, meaning that even if the fridge goes down to a particularly low temperature, keeping the temperature around actual cellar temperature is key. Nutrichef’s 15 Bottle Wine Refrigerator’s temperature range is from 41-64° degrees Fahrenheit (5 - 18°C), though we recommend keeping it somewhere between the 55-60° degrees Fahrenheit range. 

Price

As mentioned above, the price is a bit high compared to other fridges within the category, including those with a larger storage capacity. If you can secure a long-term warranty with the manufacturer, you may get a better (and longer) bang for your buck. Note: We did not personally attempt to contact the manufacturer, though others have noted that getting in touch was rather complicated.  

Final Verdict

Overall, Nutrichef’s 15 Bottle Wine Refrigerator (view at Amazon) is a great product. The refrigerator is compact, well-made, and easy to use, and above all, its near-silent feature is clutch. However, the price is rather high compared to others within the category, and for those with quite a few bottles on hand (ahem, us here at Liquor.com), the storage capacity is a bit too low.

Why Trust Liquor.com?

Vicki Denig is a wine, spirits, and travel journalist who splits her time between New York and Paris. Her work regularly appears in major industry publications. She is the content creator and social media manager for a list of prestigious clients, including Sopexa, Paris Wine Company, Becky Wasserman, Volcanic Selections, Le Du’s Wines, Windmill Wine & Spirits and Corkbuzz. She is a Certified Specialist of Wine.