LOL Tex, that's how I get my bottles, both wine and beer! I use them for garden borders too. I use fiberglass fence posts (which are basically dowels) cut in half so each half is about 2 ft or a bit longer. I pound these into the ground leaving an approx one foot section sticking out, and slide the bottles over them. I left spaces between them so I can get inside with the weed trimmer. I'm lazy and let mother nature remove the labels over time, which is why some still have their labels in the pictures. Hubby loves my bottles when he's mowing because they are easy to see, unlike the rock borders I used to have!

HI xedos, thanks for your reply here too - as I've apologized elsewhere, I've completely stopped getting notifications from GW so I didn't think I had any replies (sadly.) So, I've ruled out the big GE Monogram unit. Just not worth the money for the life we lead - entertaining is one thing but that's about quick consumption of decent-priced beverages, not storing in a showcase. :-) I did go back to the combo unit but my husband was not thrilled with the temperature that would remain for her beer. He is a bottled beer guy, boutique brands, and they should really be at 35 or 36. I think we'll go with the bev center in the island to solve this - and then he has his own place to go and can feel territorial. So, that sticks me back with a wine cooler (single or dual zone) and an ice maker. Or that u-line pair, I suppose. I'm leaning towards the Dual Zone Marvel - a little afraid it's loud? But, then I've got all the wine in there and don't have to think about it. I'd love to have the can/beverage storage in that wet bar area too but as you said, somethings gotta give. Maybe it will move people out of the wet bar and into the next room (the kitchen, of course!) Thinking of the Manitowoc ice machine - also terrified that it is crazy loud but all ice machines make noise...? Oh, last thing, while it is "new" construction because we gutted the old kitchen in our 1917 colonial, that ONE window in the wet bar is here to stay. It's not ideal, although I do like the idea of having natural light in that space. I was thinking of actually getting more of a decorative type of window to dress it up a little. Thanks for the tip on the Kohler trough sink. I wasn't exactly sure how people use those? Need to investigate there. "Lighting guy" and I discussed all the lighting - practical and then the "drama" - :-) THANKS for replying - I really appreciate it. I have so many decisions to make and it's difficult to make them on my own. There are either too many resources or not enough. And, my husband has a "I care deeply but have no preference," attitude which seems great but leaves me solo to make all the decisions. :)

All, I bought a Marvel beverage center 6 years ago for our kitchen to replace a no-name cheapo that froze over (ice sheet on back wall). Frustrated to have paid $1,500 for the Marvel only for it to suffer the same fate 5-3/4 years after buying it. See pic of it below sitting, turned off. Unfortunately, Marvel wouldn't honor the 5 year warranty, so I'm stuck with a decision - pay the $750 (yes, $750) to repair it and risk it failing again, or ponying up $2k+ for one that might last longer. I've been researching these the last few days. After talking to two repair companies, several retailers and the technical folks at SubZero, Perlick and True, I've learned quite a bit about these expensive little bastards. There seem to be three price bands $1000 and under (Danby, GE, Avallon, etc.), the mid-tier ($1k - $2.5k) brands like Marvel, Uline, Frigidaire, Sub Zero (high end of the middle, around $2,500) and Perlick and True (top end, around $3,500). My opinion (I'm not an expert, just synthesizing what I've learned) is that the low and mid tier brands have comparable internals. They differ mostly in terms of features (lighting, stainless, shelving, temp control unit, etc.) Some of the low end ones (like Avallon) do a convincing job of looking like high end professional ones. But as one of my appliance repairpeople said, looks can be deceiving. She (Maywood Appliance Repair in Chicago, Chicago Heating and Cooling) said that there's a difference in the internal, sealed system parts (evaporator, condenser and coils, compressor, etc.) . Some use cooling plate technology (rather than forced air) to cool the inside of the unit which is both inefficient and works the compressor and internal components harder (shortening service life). Some are also marketed as undercounter, but in the fine print (or installation instructions) insist on 3" - 5" around the unit (or the back, at least) to allow it to breathe and to dissipate. In short (according to repairwoman), the low end brands are engineered to be throwaway. Unfortunately, that was the experience I had with my mid-tier Marvel. My father in law has had bad luck with U-Line, too, so lump them in that category. The high end brands like Perlick and True are overengineered and seem to be engineered to last between 5 and 12 years (based on warrantys offered). Both can be bought with stainless interior and exterior, larger and upgraded coils and compressor and better, forced air cooling. This helps them cool down faster, work less hard when doing so, and maintain temp longer. The both claim coated coils to reduce the effects of corrosion. The Perlick Signature has a variable speed compressor that (like newer Air Conditioning compressors) is variable speed so it is more efficient, quieter, cools down faster and uses less energy. SubZero's less expensive, but it has a small (215 BTU) compressor, which worries me. But they have a good warranty and excellent customer service, and claim they are engineered to last 20 years (so why don't they offer a 20 yr warranty?) so maybe it's worth saving $1k versus True and Perlick to get one. I think both of my units failed because they worked too hard to keep cool (my house is set at a normal temp, nothing else unusual about it). I'm still struggling paying a massive premium to get a unit properly engineered for my space. I'll let you know what I decide in the next couple of days. Hope this was helpful!

flseadog: sorry for not getting back sooner, but antss had the answers. I can confirm that at least for ours, the shelving is too shallow to allow an 11'' pitcher to stand: we have about 9'' between the shelves. You could remove one but will lose significant storage as antss says. He's also correct, the handle mounts to the custom trim surround, not the door itself and thus can be anything you want. I can post a picture if you need to see it but I think that's self explanatory. I agree with antss that you wouldn't want to paint the wine rack shelves. They are an attractive light wood (birch?) finish. I guess you could stain them darker, but the color really does not show much through the glass door. I think painting them would look strange, and honestly, cheesy as you'll get a matte, uneven finish with latex and it will look just like what it is, a home-applied paint finish. The amount of exposed wood is quite limited and I see no reason why you'd want to match it to the cabs. Otherwise, so far so good with it. U Line does not have the best record based on GW posts, but ours has not had any problems in the first few months. I also am putting some faith in a post from a while back which you should read if you have not already. Here is a link that might be useful: Update! Please read this about U-Line Corp.