If spending R2,400 on a wine cooler doesn't seem absurd, you're the target market for these wine coolers from Solenco. The bottle cooler is best suited for folks who occasionally have a bottle of wine with their meal. The cooler with the decanter can cool more wine in one go, making it great for festive get-togethers.
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As the country heads into what could be the hottest summer on record, it seems like a perfect time to explore more of Solenco’s new Life products.
Was that planned? Is it all a conspiracy? Is Solenco behind global warming and somehow caused the so-called ‘Super El Niño’ weather pattern to sell more of its new cooling devices? We doubt it, but the timing does seem awfully convenient.
Don’t mistake our suspicion for a complaint. We were happy to cool our drinks with the sphere ice maker. We were just as happy to receive Solenco’s two new wine coolers for review.
Cool wine, no fuss
The two wine coolers arrived during a particularly hot week in Johannesburg, which made us all the more willing to put them to the test. They do the same thing, but you have the option to chill the wine in its bottle or decant it if you’re in for a festive night. The decanter also integrates a filter and aerator to catch any floaters and enhance the aroma and flavours of your soon-to-be-chilled wine. It’s made of borosilicate glass, meaning it’ll survive a trip to the dishwasher.
Both are fairly straightforward to set up, though there’s more to do for the one with the decanter. Neither involves any assembly; simply take them out of the box, plug in the included power adapter, and either slot in your bottle or decant it. The bottle cooler only takes bottles that measure up to 96mm in diameter. If you’re fond of larger volumes, the decanter model is probably your best bet.
Neither wine cooler is offensively large. They’re small enough to fit on a side table or in a clear spot on a counter. Both offer intuitive touch control panels that let you set your desired temperature between 5°C and 20°C. Both also offer fancy lighting that shows you at a glance when your drink is ready — they glow blue in standby, red indicates cooling is happening, and green means it’s time to drink.
You should plan ahead if you’re in a hurry to drink. They’ll take some time to reach your desired temperature. Exactly how long depends on how your wine was stored, the quantity of liquid, and the ambient temperature you’re fighting. At least you won’t have to fuss with refilling your ice bucket.
This is the section where we were planning to write about their operating noise. Being devices that cool, usually a compressor is involved. Those can be noisy. That said, unless you’re by yourself in a quiet room enjoying 7°C water, you probably won’t notice the hum from these wine coolers.
The Johannesburg heat wave test
Stuff‘s Sally Hudson spent some time with the wine bottle cooler, and had this to say about her experience:
We’re red wine drinkers, and although red wine is traditionally served at room temperature, Johannesburg’s warmer evenings of late can make that a questionable decision.
On a particularly warm evening, we set the cooler to 13°C and put it to work. After approximately 41 minutes, our bottle reached the desired temperature.
The result was perfectly chilled red wine, maintained at a consistent temperature throughout the evening.
Another bonus is the low electricity consumption. The cooler operates on low-voltage power, making it relatively inexpensive to run. That’s welcome news in South Africa, with current electricity prices, and where load shedding can always be an unwelcome possibility.
The low power usage Sally mentioned also means they run off a backup battery on camping trips, if drinking wine from the bottle isn’t your thing.
It’s also worth noting that you don’t have to put wine in these. Water, juice, pretty much any liquid should be cooled sufficiently. Your fridge already does that for other liquids that aren’t as particular about their temperature.
Solenco Life Precision Wine Coolers verdict
If you’re passionate about wine and have strong opinions about how it should be served and imbibed, Solenco’s wine coolers are perfect for you. Maybe you don’t really mind, but your party guests always complain about your room-temperature wine, or you constantly run out of ice. They’re also perfect for that person.
Maybe you want water chilled to a crisp and specific 7°C. They’re perfect for that too, if a little pricey. R2,400 is not a small amount to pay for a niche device like these wine coolers. But if your wallet can survive the blow, and you’re tired of melting ice, watermarks, or warm wine, this is a brilliant solution. They’ll also make great gifts for that one friend who won’t shut up about vineyards.
