HFN Magazine
HFN Magazine
July 01, 2007
Excerpt from "Pouring Outside" as published in HFN Magazine:
Vinotemp International also plans to test out the great outdoors next year, said Vladislav Ozerov, vice president of marketing. “Demand is growing for outdoor [coolers] due to more outdoor kitchens,” he said.
Ozerov is also well aware of the cost and technology challenges to launching an outdoor unit. The company has already faced some of these challenges with a unit that is designed for the garage. Because temperature and humidity in the garage can shift dramatically, the units require a higher level of insulation and larger compressors than traditional indoor units. He said that to move outside completely requires better insulation that prevents hot and cold air from getting inside [the unit] and ultraviolet-protected glass if a glass door is used. He said that a solid door would more likely be used in the design of an outdoor cooler. All of these features would come at a significant price premium compared with indoor models.
Vinotemp may have solved the temperature-fluctuation issue associated with outdoor wine coolers via a monitoring computer system designed for its indoor units. The computer features a touch screen, which can be mounted on the exterior of the cooler that relays indoor humidity and temperature condition information. It also features a scanner, which can be used to scan wines before storage to keep track of when certain wines should be opened based on age and type, Ozerov said.
Vinotemp’s current line of compact thermoelectric coolers, while not specifically designed for the outdoors, can be transported outside on a temporary basis due to their lightweight, portable design, Ozerov said.
Wine cooler pictured: VT-12TEDS
Excerpt from "Pouring Outside" as published in HFN Magazine:
Vinotemp International also plans to test out the great outdoors next year, said Vladislav Ozerov, vice president of marketing. “Demand is growing for outdoor [coolers] due to more outdoor kitchens,” he said.
Ozerov is also well aware of the cost and technology challenges to launching an outdoor unit. The company has already faced some of these challenges with a unit that is designed for the garage. Because temperature and humidity in the garage can shift dramatically, the units require a higher level of insulation and larger compressors than traditional indoor units. He said that to move outside completely requires better insulation that prevents hot and cold air from getting inside [the unit] and ultraviolet-protected glass if a glass door is used. He said that a solid door would more likely be used in the design of an outdoor cooler. All of these features would come at a significant price premium compared with indoor models.
Vinotemp may have solved the temperature-fluctuation issue associated with outdoor wine coolers via a monitoring computer system designed for its indoor units. The computer features a touch screen, which can be mounted on the exterior of the cooler that relays indoor humidity and temperature condition information. It also features a scanner, which can be used to scan wines before storage to keep track of when certain wines should be opened based on age and type, Ozerov said.
Vinotemp’s current line of compact thermoelectric coolers, while not specifically designed for the outdoors, can be transported outside on a temporary basis due to their lightweight, portable design, Ozerov said.
Wine cooler pictured: VT-12TEDS