GE's Wine Vault chills without a cellar

If you can't bear to wait nearly 30 years for GE's "kitchen of the future" to show up (and we can't help but wonder whether our perishables can last that long), the company is showcasing some technology that's available today. Top of the list is the GE Monogram Wine Vault, a complete 8x8x8-ft storage environment that has an internal cooling system set for 55 degrees, the ability to hold up to 1,100 bottles on redwood racks and a touch-screen inventory management system that builds a database of your bottles via a touch-screen scanner. It'll set you back a cool $35,000. We're not sure whether that includes installation, but if you have to ask you're probably not in the market for this.

[Eli @ Jan 12th 2006 3:09AM]

It's cliche to say "if you have to ask you can't afford it" and I'm not harping on your guys for using it, but have you ever sat down and really thought about what that means?



Most wealthy people I know are more prudent about their buying than I am, that's probably how they got there. I think if you can afford it the first thing you'd ask would be "how much does it cost" and the second would be "how can I write it off as a business expense?"

[Cloud @ Jan 12th 2006 3:25AM]

I agree with Eli though its for humor i'd assume :)



Kitchen of the future is something I am dreaming of right now and the Winery of the future today is something i'd like as well but first I need a house to put it in lol.



The problem here is that wine cellars are designed for good wine and the type of wine that you will want to store for better aging. I wonder if this cellar has different temperatures per feet? It would be best for certain wine. But hey! You can always dig a hole in your basement and put in a ladder.

[max andrews @ Jan 12th 2006 7:19AM]

For the sheer size of the thing and for what it is, it actually strikes me as fairly reasonably priced. If you don't already have a basement you're not using, the cost of digging and installing a decent cellar even without the touch-screen LCD inventory system is going to be pretty pricey. Of course it's much more fun to do it yourself and I'd never buy this, but as far as big expensive niche products go it doesn't seem too overpriced.

[Richard @ Jan 12th 2006 8:22AM]

I started saving my money today, only $34,500 more to go!

[Mr. E @ Jan 12th 2006 10:33AM]

Big deal...this is 2 years old...hardly groundbreaking coverage Engadget. They'd be better served to actually finish articles that they start.



http://www.engadget.com/2005/11/10/weve-got-a-ppc-6700-what-do-you-want-to-know/