Twoputts,
Just like a Humidor helps keep cigars in their best shape for smoking, a wine cooler/refridgerator helps keep wine optimal when stored.
I have two wine refridge's I bought at Sam's club a couple of years ago. They have a selector to keep the red's at 54deg and the whites at 44deg. Personally, I have always preferred sweeter wines and my brother turned me onto GERMAN WINES when he was in college and spent a year in Germany while minoring in German. I try to get spatelace, auslace or eiswine's from the Reisling, or Gewertztraminer variety.
Now to bum you out, I was diagnosed with Sarcoidosis almost a year ago, and have it in my LUNGS and spleen. I take large doses of Prednisone everyday and another medication and both of them rule out me drinking ANY alcohol. Additionally, with the sarcoidosis in my lungs and the surgeries to obtain the biopsies and assure that it was not lung cancer, I am not allowed to smoke, and have enough trouble breathing that I was given a handicapped placard for my vehicles. While the Prednisone has helped a bit shrinking the Sarcoidosis in my lungs, it has caused me to swell up and gain alot of weight. A year ago I was a lean/mean 190-195lbs and now I am tippin the scale at 235-240!!! :shock:
Lesson is -- enjoy life, and appreciate what you have, because it can change suddenly without notice. My health problems have changed my outlook alot, and made me appreciate my time with my wife and children a whole lot more!
Oh, and my wife and friends still get to enjoy my wine collection, and as long as we are outside where it does not choke me up, I don't mind if those around me smoke either!