NewAir Dual Zone Wine and Beverage Fridge is a Must-Have
A home bar is not complete these days without a beverage fridge, but what happens if there’s a wine lover in the house too? To satisfy everyone, a combination beverage fridge made to accommodate both bottles of wine and cans of beverages is a great choice. The option to have dual temperature settings in the same appliance lets you keep wine chilled at the proper temperature and other drinks frosty cold. Whether you install it as a built-in under counter beverage fridge or have a freestanding model, it will mean that you’re party-ready at any time.
Dedicated refrigeration for beverages keeps gaining in popularity so we took a closer look at one of the popular models available — the NewAir 24” Built-in Dual Zone 18 Bottle and 58 Can Wine and Beverage Fridge – use code HOMEDIT and you will get 15% off.
The NewAir 24” Built-in Dual Zone 18 Bottle and 58 Can Wine and Beverage Fridge is a great all-around beverage refrigerator that should satisfy all your guests whether they're wine drinkers or not. Use code HOMEDIT and you will get 15% off.
View DealThings To Consider Before You Buy
Before you buy a beverage fridge, there are a few things to think about so that you end up happy with your purchase.
What capacity do you need?
If you’re constantly throwing big parties, no under counter beverage fridge is going to be big enough. For the casual entertainer or for regular family use, however, a built-in model is just the right size. You want to have enough bottles of wine handy to get you through a gathering and enough room for cans or bottles for family and guests who prefer other drinks. The best thing about a beverage fridge aside from convenience is that it saves precious room in your refrigerator and cuts down on the opening and closing of the door.
Do you need a single or dual-zone fridge?
Hands down, the most versatile type is the dual-zone version. Avid wine connoisseurs will likely want a larger dual zone wine fridge to display their prized vintages, but for everyone else, a model that is made to accommodate both wine and other drinks is the best option. Even people who don’t drink a lot of wine will want to have some on hand and ready to serve for guests, which is possible with this type of fridge.
Do you want a Built-in Model or a Freestanding Type?
Installing a built-in wine fridge is not difficult as long as you purchase one that is specifically made to be installed under a counter. This is important because it has to do with the cooling and venting of your fridge and improper usage can be hazardous and will affect its longevity and operation. The other potential issue is whether the fridge fits in the space you have, so you’ll need to measure it before you buy. Some models can be used as a built-in or as a freestanding model, which gives you more flexibility if you decide to install it at a later date.
NewAir 24” Built-in Dual Zone 18 Bottle and 58 Can Wine and Beverage Fridge
We received New Air’s 24” Built-in Dual Zone Beverage Fridge to review, which we unpacked, set up and tested out for you:
Delivery
Delivery was simple and the unit was very well packaged, arriving in perfect shape. The outer box held a second box that was sitting on top of an extra platform insulated with heavy-duty molded foam for added protection. The unboxing was quite simple because you can just slip off the outer box. Once it’s open, it’s simple to move the fridge off of the packing platform. The beverage fridge weighs 115 lbs. If you’re strong, it’s not difficult for one person to move it around but you’ll likely want some help.
Assembly
There’s really not much to assemble with this NewAir beverage fridge and all you have to do is attach the french door handles. The doors are securely taped closed for shipping, so it’s simple to remove the tape and take the packing foam out of each side of the fridge. The door handles, along with the four screws, are separately packed with the manual and instructions. No special tools are required and all you need is a Phillips head screwdriver.
To attach each handle, you have to pull out the rubber gasket behind each screw hole. This is not hard to do but it made me a little nervous as it felt like I was going to damage it, but that’s definitely not the case. The screw goes through the hole in the door and the into the predrilled hole in the handle. After screwing it in, you just push the rubber gasket back into place along the edge. This took very little time.
I ran into a minor hitch when one of the screws would not fit into the predrilled hole in one handle. After testing all of the screws in that particular hole, it was clear that the handle was the problem. This gave me a chance to try out New Air’s customer service, which was very helpful and responsive. A few minutes on the phone with a representative and a new handle was on its way.
Once the beverage fridge is unpacked, you need to allow 24 hours before plugging it in to make sure that the refrigerant settles after shipment. Once we plugged it in and checked the temperature settings, it coolled down very quickly and was ready to stock with drinks!
Great Features
Overall, the fridge has a clean, sophisticated look with its seamless, stainless steel French doors. The handles are easy to grab and very convenient. Although it’s made to be built in, it looks great as a standalone beverage fridge because the exterior is smooth and seamless. The interior has cool blue lighting, which looks nice when you leave it on.
Digital control panels
Controlling the temperature on this NewAir Dual Zone fridge is easy. Each side has its own digital temperature readout with simple buttons to adjust the temp up or down. The panel also allows you to set the interior blue lighting to be on continuously or, by using the auto setting, it will come on only when you open the door. Also, once it’s installed, you won’t be able to reach the plug but you can still turn it off if necessary just by pressing and holding the power button for five seconds.
The Wine Fridge
This side of the fridge holds 18 bottles of wine in the same way a regular dual zone wine fridge would. This is plenty for a party and enough room to store a varied selection for use at any time. There are a number of great features in this part of the fridge:
- Craftsman beechwood racks hold the wine securely and each shelf fits three standard bottles, with the one in the center facing the opposite direction.
- Each shelf has a ledge at the back that prevents you from accidentally pulling it out all the way. This helps avoid any accidents with a shelf full of bottles. The shelves are still adjustable, however, because there is a notch on each side that slides over a knob, allowing you to remove the shelf. This is handy in case you want to store more champagne or oversized bottles.
- The bottom shelf holds two champagne-sized bottles, which have a fatter body than a regular wine bottle and don’t fit on the other shelves.
- You can customize the wine fridge to hold reds or whites because the temperature range is from 41 to 72 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Light is not a friend to wine, so you can turn it off the blue light in the wine fridge while leaving it on for the beverage side.
The Beverage Fridge
The beverage fridge is super versatile and can hold up to 58 cans. This is a great size for entertaining or for daily use. There’s much to love about this side of the unit:
- The unit keeps beverages frosty cold or just cool, however you prefer, with a temperature range of 36 to 72 degrees Fahrenheit.
- The wide temperature range means that this side of the fridge could also be used for wine if necessary, essentially making it a dual zone wine fridge.
- Durable shelves have a curve at the back, similar to the wooden wine shelves, that prevent them from accidentally sliding out all the way. There’s a notch on each side of the shelf that allows you to remove it in order to adjust the depth.
- The top shelf has a split configuration that lets you store some standard-size cans at the back and taller bottles or cans in the front.
- Being able to move the shelving around to accommodate the different types of cans and bottles you’re chilling is great. If your beer-loving friends are coming and you need more bottles of craft brew at the ready, you can just shuffle things around. The same goes for oversized cans of beer, cider or other drinks.
Security
If there are children in the house, the act that there’s a security lock and key for each side is a fabulous benefit. Fill the beverage side with soft drinks and you can leave the wine fridge section locked for safety. Or, if there are teenagers in the house, you can leave both sides stocked full of your favorite adult beverages, lock it up and not worry about anything disappearing.
Access to Mechanicals
Because it’s made to be a built in, the venting is at the bottom front. In the back, you can easily access all the other mechanicals, where you can also see that there’s a black pan under the plastic tubing to collect the small amount of condensation that comes from this size of fridge.
The NewAir 24” Built-in Dual Zone 18 Bottle and 58 Can Wine and Beverage Fridge is a great all-around beverage refrigerator that should satisfy all your guests whether they're wine drinkers or not. Use code HOMEDIT and you will get 15% off.
View DealThe Bottom Line
The NewAir 24” Built-in Dual Zone 18 Bottle and 58 Can Wine and Beverage Fridge is a great all-around beverage refrigerator that should satisfy all your guests whether they’re wine drinkers or not. It has lots of great features as detailed above and looks nice as an installed or freestanding unit. The only potential improvement could be the use of a heftier wood for the wine racks, but that’s just a personal preference and has nothing to do with the durability or functioning of the current style.