Every recommendation on CellarPicked traces to a published number. This page is the method — what we check, where the numbers come from, and what we deliberately don’t do.
The specifications we reconcile
Every guide works from the same core figures: bottle capacity and what it assumes (most makers count standard 750 ml Bordeaux bottles on their own shelf layout, and wider Burgundy or Champagne bottles take more room), cooling type (compressor or thermoelectric) and the ambient temperature range the maker states, zones and the temperature range of each, installation type (whether the maker classifies the unit as front-venting and built-in capable, or freestanding only), dimensions and weight, noise and energy use as declared. For beverage refrigerators we add can capacity and the shelf configuration it assumes.
We then reconcile those numbers against what you own and where the cooler will go. The bottle count decides whether your collection fits; the cooling type and ambient range decide whether it holds temperature in a warm garage or a cool basement; the venting class decides whether it can sit under a counter at all. The reconciliation, not the spec sheet, is the recommendation. Where we work out how many of a particular bottle might fit from the maker’s shelf figures, the guide labels the result as our own calculation and names the figures it used.
Where the numbers come from
Manufacturer manuals and specification sheets, in that order of trust; warranty documents; published energy listings where they exist; and owner feedback read at scale across public platforms. Every specification we publish is taken from a document we can point to. When two manufacturer documents disagree, we say which one we used and why. When a number cannot be verified from any published source, the guide says so in a named exclusions section rather than repeating a figure we cannot stand behind.
What we don’t do
We don’t buy, load or test the coolers we write about, and we won’t pretend to. There is no test kitchen, no thermometer in a rack, no unboxing. “Picked” means chosen from the documents. When a question can only be settled in your own home — how loud a compressor sounds in your kitchen, how your own bottles sit on a shelf — we say so plainly and tell you what the published evidence does and does not support.
We also don’t give instructions for built-in or under-counter installation, venting, electrical connections or repairs, and we don’t write about drinking. This is general information, not installation advice: for built-in or under-counter installation, electrical outlets and any refrigerant repair, follow the manufacturer’s manual and use a qualified installer or technician — if in doubt, ask one.
Who it’s for — and who should skip it
Every recommendation names who it’s for and who it isn’t for. An honest guide has losers as well as winners, and ours name what we excluded and why.
Prices
We don’t publish prices. They change too quickly to trust in an article, so we use broad price bands (for example $300–500) and ask you to check the current price with the retailer before buying.
How we’re paid
Reader-supported, through affiliate links that never affect what we recommend — the full policy is in our affiliate disclosure.