Miele KWT 6321 UG

Superbly silent. Quality and tractive. Great shelves /lighting. Built to last – Miele wine fridge My review after 2.5 yrs use. (Not incentivised) Summary Attractive, super quiet even after 2 years, nice door and shelf action, temp works very well. Features are good. Easy to clean very solid reliable and superb build. I expect it to outlive most other appliances here... (Negs) none other than pausing over the price, but my comparisons /experiences solved that, as skimping on quality taught me a lesson. Read full review below.

Full review below...and it's pretty detailed after 2.5 years

Works perfectly. Extremely quiet. Flawless really. Very precise quality build and an extensive manual that explains nicely- and with good pictures - how to make the most of it... (So different from a budget appliance).

It runs at stable temperatures. Good shelves. And visually excellent... (Under bench so I don't look at it much though... But I must noticed, the lighting is nicer /warmer than I've usually seen- a good touch Miele. The only improvement could be orange light like at Moët and it's cellars... Look it up).

Many wine fridge owners complain about noise. And this one is installed between the kitchen bench and the couch, built in under bench.... on wooden floor. So silence matters. And it's the quietest thing. (Note this is not one of those tough outdoor units. It built for very precise conditions).

Can store a lot of bottles well. The 'notches' the bottle slide in on shelves is perfectly engineered and quite satisfying.

(but fat burgundy/champagne bottles are a TIGHT squeeze, so yes, as per p.32 if manual, best for Bordeaux and Reisling bottles... But you can squeeze the big ones in due to the wooden shelves having some give - just not enough for the biggest of bottles...).

Beer cans DO fit very nicely indeed, and 8°c is best for beer with actual flavour. IMHO.

I've only recently paid attention to all the features like the air flow for humidity, and the internal filter (through which external air enters).

And So....., I just did the filters . Boy...!

...do (definitely) check your filter at the bottom every year if you have pets. It will clog up fast. Jeepers... I have now added that to my annual list of household filter checks (just like, washer, air con filters, water filter for the fridge and sink, and brush out the coils at back of fridge, brush out the outdoor a/cbl thing... so now this is one more Australia Day Long weekend thing for the checklist).

[p.s. Researched this fridge a lot. My main Criteria was Quiet. Quiet and quiet. Oh And very reliable/good quality. Because this is our last reno. I bloody hope. We are getting this kind of thing built in only *once*. I was prepared to pay this crazy price for something that will last 20+ years, having blown money on cheap wine fridges that are noisy, have unstable temp, and then die at 2 years (true. My neighbour made the same mistake too). As annoying as they were, the cheap wine fridge taught us how essential a separate wine fridge was very useful for having wine ready at the right temp, and it avoids choking up the fridge with bottles and beers ]

Sustainability. That matters now more than ever. And it rightly sits alongside quality.... you get what you pay for.

So pay for it.

(Spoiler - I am getting preachy but the full review continues below) You can buy one energy efficient, quality appliance, made by people who are paid a fair wage, built environmentally/well chosen materials, that gives you pleasure for 25 years. Like a sustainable well supported, German or nordic brand with a parts network you can rely on.. . Or you buy a crappy cheap one built in a sweatshop using dodge methods and Toxic materials and lacking patents, that makes noise, sucks on power, (and might catch fire) and then dies and has to be disposed of and replaced before it's 5th birthday... Can you guess which option is most sustainable/cheapest /better for your conscience (and feeling of self appointed virtue ) plus most fun in the long run?

So to summarise....

This is basically silent and sits under bench, but near the couch so it has to... superb. Never notice it's there... The door alarm helps a lot too... Attractive unit and shelves. Easy to clean if there is a spill or hand marks but Quality has a price. (And like everything Meile, do make sure you read the manual to get the most pleasure from it, and follow the manual and install correctly - the last 5 pages of the manual are very clear about the important bits. Don't just let someone bung it in... Get a fascia built... Make sure the foam bit and filers are well placed. And your investment will last and serve you well. I'm very, very happy with mine.

Final tip .... This will settle / start many arguments ... (See page 22 of the manual to settle any arguments) Red wines are best served at 14 to 18 °c (not room temperature - too hot in Oz, mostly) and whites 8-14°c .... Even champagne /Prosecco/cava is served at 6-10°c (4° which is fridge temp is just too cold. )

Truly final tip. A tip for Miele. When we buy a $5k appliance, which relies on a filter for good operations/longevity/and maybe even warranty, how but you add a "filter subscription" for an extra 5% (or 250 chuffs) HERE IS HOW IT WOULD WORK... send me a filter every yea, for five years.. ordering a little things is a huge hassle for busy and forgetful people... If I'd known I'd have order five or ten filters when I bought the thing. But there isn't anything to press for that either. Listen guys, this is win-win. You sell more. I am more happy and have price of mind plus convenience. I get the filters delivered annually (and a nice reminder, and note explaining how to do it, as I will forget each year) and I do the proper regular maintenance and get more joy from the appliance, and longevity, and that drives loyalty. And referrals. Word of mouth, reviews etc. You see? It's win win. Less hassle...

And Yes, instead of a subscription, you could add a button for the option of 'buy 5 /10 /15 years worth of filters now'. I did this when we did a big renovation ... I now have shelf for all the filters and globes I never want to have to look up again. (Fridge water filter, sink water filter, air con filters, vacuum bags and filters, and spare gloves for the whole house, and even a Meile dryer 2nd stage filter, in advance) . It means I don't have trouble in 10 or 20 years finding the filter for a discontinued item too...

Just an idea.