
The second unit turned on and refrigerated but didn't dispense.The manual only says, "Change the gas cylinder and if that doesn't work, inspect the solenoid."I changed the gas canister and that didn't work, and I didn't feel like prying the unit apart to find a solenoid and 'inspect it somehow.'Vinotemp customer service never returned my calls.When I did finally get through to someone they seemed baffled by the problem, took my name and phone number, and after a couple days, they haven't called me back. Now using Amazon Prime again to return and replace the item.
The first replacement unit did work just fine.Chilled AND dispensed.Easy to use and setup and maintain.The compressor and fan do make a fair amount of noise so you may not want this in an area where you expect some quiet.I'll update if the 2nd replacement unit doesn't work, at which point both will go back in favor of lower tech and cheaper alternatives.
*** update
The second unit arrived and functioned just fine.Both have been happily humming along for a little over a month.They are a bit loud when the compressor is running, and the front lights keep a room pretty well lit when dark, but the wines are lasting 1-2 weeks and I love the convenience.Worthwhile...if you get broken units just keep returning them until you get working ones.Fingers crossed these will last a good long time.I am on my second unit and I am frustrated.The unit has worked fine, however the performance has been disappointing.I was told that I could get 5 bottles of wine per cartridge and I am able to get 1 1/2 bottles at best.I tried a second unit and the result is exactly the same after using four canisters.My recommendation is not to buy this product.
Buy Vinotemp VT-WINEDISP2 2 Bottle Wine Dispenser, Black Now
I bought the Vinotemp in October 2012 thinking it would be a nice addition to my bar set up and a convenient, allbeit expensive, way to preserve a nice bottle of wine for more than a few days.My initial observations upon unwrapping the package:
1) My unit has been opened and possibly used before. In fact, the nitrogen cartridge was already installed and probably half full, though I don't know for sure as replacing it was one of the trouble-shooting techniques I describe below.
2) Looks nice.Probably too large to fit under most cabinets, but if you've got some space, it certainly adds some sophistication to an unsophisticated wine display
3) Plug it in, turn it on, set the temp...mine works.Woo hoo!
I diligently cleaned out the hoses in the contraption, particularly since, as noted above, the unit had probably been used before.This entailed using the already-installed nitrogen cartridge to pump warm water from empty wine bottles through the dispenser system.The system hooked up to the bottle nicely and the water flowed through with no problems.
I was especially excited about the machine because it would give me the flexibility to compare two different vintages of Twomey I'd saved for this occassion without having to worry about 3/4 of each bottle going to waste.I opened up the 2007 Merlot and 2008 Merlot and poured a glass of each before attaching the 2 bottles to the machine.I enjoyed the wine in the glasses I initially poured, but when I went back for a few more ounces of each, this time dispensed from the machine, I noticed a distinctly different bouquet and flavor the wines that were full and sweet and alive out of the bottle seemed empty and fruitless and lifeless out of the machine.
I've tried troubleshooting, but have observed that, in my experiments, the only variable that causes good wines to become lifeless and fruitless is the fact that it's dipensed from the machine.Some of the things I've tried with different bottles to mitigate this effect include:
1) Letting the wine breathe longer before attaching it to the machine.
2) Changing out the nitrogen cartridge
3) Changing the temperature setting
4) Cleaning the system diligently -again
5) Running the wine out of the machine through a Vinturi into my glass
So, conclusion (A) is that my machine is easy to use and looks nice, but is severly detrimental to the quality of the wine.
The next disappointing conclusion I've drawn, conclusion (B), is that this machine does not preserve wine any longer than the cheap wine preserver vacuum pump kits.This unit is advertised to preserve wine up to 45 days, although maybe all of the advertisements have gotten it wrong and left the '-' that should be between the '4' and the '5' out.I've found that, if used properly, many of the
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