Frequently Asked Questions

How Do I Choose the right Wine Fridge Myself?

Choose any Dual-Zone Grand Cru wine fridge, and keep in mind that most whites are generally best served at 6-8 deg C, and most reds at 16-18 deg C. With a Dual-Zone cabinet, you can fine-tune the serving temperatures of different styles of wine: You can set the temperature to suit your needs.

Choose any Grand Cru Wine fridge, and make sure you set it at 12-14 deg C as this is the proper temperature for cellaring and medium/long term storage for all wines: reds, whites, roses and champagne.

ll wines cellar at the same temperature (12-14 deg C), so any Single-Zone fridge set between 12-14 deg C is ideal for white wine and/or red wine storage. When set within this temperature range, Single-Zone fridges will also keep humidity levels above 55% (which is important to maintain the integrity of the cork). Having said that, any dual zone can also be kept at the same temperature and humidity levels throughout the whole unit.

All wines — Whites, Reds, Champagnes — cellar at the same temperature (12-14 deg C), so any Grand Cru fridge set between 12-14 deg C is ideal for white wine and/or red wine storage. Set within this temperature range, Grand Cru wine fridges will also keep humidity levels above 55% (which is important to maintain the integrity of the cork).

For (investment) wine to appreciate in value, the discerning purchaser will want a wine fridge that is designed for cellaring at the perfect temperature so any of the Grand Cru units will suit that purpose – it just becomes more of a question of the size of unit needed.

Wine Temperature

The recommended cellaring temperature is between 12 and 14 degrees Celsius. Whichever temperature you choose, the key is to remember that the temperature must be constant.

The humidity in a wine cabinet should be over 55% so that corks don’t dry out and shrink: humidity levels below 55% can lead to your wines spoiling because of oxidation. All Grand Cru wine fridges are designed to maintain humidity levels above 55% (when set at 12-14 deg C).

YES, humidity is essential to ensure that the corks do not dry out. If that happens, they shrink and air can get into the wine. If air gets into the wine it will cause oxidation, generating an odorous smell.

As long as the temperature is correct, there is no limit to how long your wine can be stored in there.

YES. Just set the top compartment temperature to between 6*-8* and the bottom section to a temperature range of 12*-14*.

No, wine fridges are not normal fridges. The temperature does not go low enough to keep food fresh and are not cold enough for the serving of beer. The Grand Cru GC46BC Beverage Centre is designed for beers (or white wines at drinking temperature), as they can cool beverages down to 2 deg C, and have metallic racks on which to stand beer bottles up. However, they are not suitable for food storage.

Technical & Installation

Dual -Zone wine fridges are designed for keeping and serving red and white wines at the perfect drinking temperatures. Single-Zone wine cabinets are designed for cellaring all wines (reds, whites or sparkling) at the proper temperature (12-14 deg C).

Some of the Grand Cru range is not suitable for built –in installation, so please consider this before purchasing. The following Grand Cru wine fridges are suitable for built in installation:

  • GC36D
  • GC46D
  • GC100D
  • GC166D

Trouble Shooting

If your wine fridge sounds noisy, it may be: 1) due to incorrect stacking of bottles and/or the fridge is not completely level, so please empty the unit, check the levelling and then reload, 2) because ventilation requirements have not been considered, and so the unit is over-heating —refer to the manual orcall Grand Crufor further help.

The door has been left open to some degree. Please wipe out the unit and ensure the door is shut.

The door has been left open to some degree. Please wipe out the unit and ensure the door is shut.

This is a perfectly normal occurrence and needed to maintain the correct humidity in the wine fridge. Just keep your bottles away from the wall so you do not block the water flow, an essential part of the cellaring climate.

If they are in contact with the back wall of the cabinet, they will have some condensation on them so please make sure you keep a finger’s distance between the bottom of the bottle and the wall when you load. If not, please keep in mind that it is normal that condensation appears on the bottles after you open the door, and that high humidity is essential in cellaring your wine properly.

Yes, this in normal. It is the variance in the air temperature that triggers the thermostat and the compressor. The small temperature fluctuations occur in the air around the bottles, not in the wine itself.

This indicates excessive humidity in the environment.

The units are very well insulated and can maintain the temperature for hours before there is any change in the temperature itself. We don’t advise opening the doors during the outage. Once the power is restored, electronically-controlled cabinets can revert to factory settings, so reset as necessary.

Shipping & Delivery

Yes. You can have someone else (spouse, family member, friend, contractor, etc.) take possession of your wine fridge on your behalf. However, please make sure they have all the necessary information needed to take the delivery. If the wine fridge is accepted and signed for as ok and/or no notations are made and problems occur after the fact, you take possession of the unit “AS IS” and you will need to follow up with the shipping company for compensation.

No. You can’t have the carrier delivery to your home without you or someone else to provide signature with written documentation. Should anything happen to the wine fridge, your property, and/or the wine fridge arrives with damages you will need to follow up with the shipping company for compensation.

Make sure that the gift recipient has all the necessary information to accept delivery if the wine cellar is being shipped to them directly. While we understand that sometimes gifts are meant to be surprises, unfortunately there have been occasions where a gift recipient refused delivery because they did not know that the wine cellar was coming as a gift or did not follow delivery instructions.

The Home Icon cannot give compensation and/or replacement wine cellars if something is sign for as ok. Also, make sure to provide as much contact information for the gift recipient as possible to avoid any fees!

While this scenario is extremely rare, it can occur. If anything at your home/property is damaged by the carrier, contact Customer Care immediately! We will make the initial arraignments with the carrier to get compensation to you in a quick and timely fashion. As always, notate the BOL of what was damaged before you sign!

Note: The Wine Enthusiast cannot give direct compensation for damages that occur to your home/property before and/or after the fact. These actions have to be negotiated through you and the carrier, but as our customer we will give you all the necessary information and assistance needed to make sure you have a timely and satisfactory resolution to the matter.

If this occurs, please contact Customer Care immediately! There is a window of 24 hours where you would still be entitled to a replacement and/or compensation. After the window lapses, we cannot provide a replacement or compensation as the wine cellar is officially signed off “AS IS”

This is another rare occurrence. If this occurs, contact Customer Care immediately so we can investigate the matter with the carrier. If there is a delay, we are able to find out what that may be and give you a time frame of when the delivery can take place. If they do not show, we can find alternatives to another appointment that will be catered specifically to your needs and liking without additional costs to you.

If there is a matter that needs your attention and you find out 24 hours or more in advance of delivery, contact Customer Care so they can make appropriate changes to the delivery. If it is on the day of the delivery, contact Customer Care and we will be able to notify the carrier and ask them to reschedule with you. Note: Failure to comply may result in an attempt fee or wait fee.

Contact Customer Care so we can look into the matter directly with the carrier. We may be able to have the services rendered and/or provide compensation for the inconvenience. Note: Make sure you are informed of what services that are and are not included in your delivery.

Refer to this information packet or you can discuss this at the time of purchase with your Home Icon Customer Representative before delivery.

No. We cannot nor do we authorise the carrier to install shelving or assemble any part of the wine fridge. This is always the responsibility of the client regardless of what services are being rendered. If you require a white glove unpacking service, please contact Customer Care to find out more as this feature incurs a fee.

We hope that this has been informative and insightful information that will help you not only on your purchase, but as well as the delivery process. Should you have any further questions in regards to this information and/or should you have questions that are not included in this information packet please do not hesitate to contact us.

Customer Care: 1300 935 683
Email: info@homeicon.com.au