Haier 12 Bottle Table-Top Wine Cellar Review (HVT12ABS/HVT12ABB/HVT12AVS/HVT12AVW)
January 2020 UPDATE:
Haier no longer manufactures 12-bottle wine coolers/refrigerators. For every wine cooler they used to make, their website now states “This model is no longer being manufactured”. That's fine by us, since they seemed to have significant quality issues.
So, if you're in the market for a solid, reliable 12-bottle wine cooler, check out the NutriChef PKTEWC120 12 Bottle Thermoelectric Wine Cooler Refrigerator. It gets a very impressive 4.5-star rating on Amazon, with over 1,000 reviews! It's pretty rare for a product to elicit that kind of positive feedback, so we HIGHLY RECOMMEND you check it out here!
Note:
Before launching into this review, it should be noted that Haier currently makes at least 3 different models of 12 bottle wine cellars. The two tabletop models (HVT12xxx, where xxx is a 3-digit code signifying color, and HVUE12xxx) look very similar, but do have some differences. Although both are thermoelectric, for some reason the HVT claims a temperature range of 50-61 F, while the HVUE claims a range of 39-72 F. Other differences are that the HVT has a mechanical thermostat, dial display, and no interior light, while the HVUE has an electronic thermostat, LED display, and does have an interior light. In addition to these countertop models, Haier also makes a tower model.
Wal-Mart sells a “Haier 12-Bottle Table Top Wine Cooler”, no model number given, which does not appear to have a temperature control or display on the front. This may, in fact, be a special version only marketed through Wal-Mart, or it could be the HVT. This certainly adds to the confusion if reviewers are not aware of the model differences. Having said that, here is our review of the HVT12xxx.
Our Rating: 
Based on: 30 reviews/ratings
Approximate price: $90
Capacity: 12 bottles
Features:
- Table-top wine cellar
- Ultra-quiet thermo-electric cooling system
- Capacity: 12 bottles
- Adjustable thermostat
- 3 full-chrome wire storage rack
- Silver-trimmed
- Double-pane insulated glass door
- Recessed handle
- Measures 22-5/16 by 18-1/8 by 16 inches
Pros:
- Very quiet when running
- Accurate thermostat provides a range of temperatures for whites vs. reds
Cons:
- Serious reliability problems
- Deeper than one would expect, so takes up lots of counter space
- Can't accommodate large or unusually-shaped wine bottles
Sampling of owner comments about the Haier 12 bottle wine cellar:
- “about the size of a microwave oven but much deeper”
- “Died after one week”
- “after another couple of months the new one died too”
- “Unit died just after end of one-year warranty”
- “lasted the 3 months that the warranty covered then promptly died”
Our review:
First, we’d like to point out that 10 of 13 reviewers of this wine cooler indicated that it died within a matter of a few months (sometimes less). Only 2 of those reviewers were happy with this chiller. Based on these serious reliability issues, we gave this wine cooler 2 stars (even though customers overall gave it 3.0 stars), and we cannot recommend the Haier HVT12ABS (or the different colored versions, HVT12ABB, HVT12AVS, and HVT12AVW).
Bottom line recommendation:
January 2020 Update:
However, if you're in the market for a solid, reliable 12-bottle wine cooler, check out the NutriChef PKTEWC120 12 Bottle Thermoelectric Wine Cooler Refrigerator. It gets a way better reviews that any of the Haier wine cellars got – a very impressive 4.5-star rating on Amazon, with over 1,000 reviews! It's pretty rare for a product to elicit that kind of positive feedback, so we HIGHLY RECOMMEND you check it out here!
Original review:
The Haier HVT12ABS 12-bottle Wine Cooler is NOT RECOMMENDED.
Check out this (much better) wine fridge instead: NutriChef PKTEWC120 12 Bottle Thermoelectric Wine Cooler Refrigerator.
Check out our other recommendations for 12-bottle wine cooler/chillers, and our wine cooler buyer's guide.