Refrigerated wine displays are not exactly the type of appliance you would expect to be given pride of place in the living room. But with Miele's new wine conditioning unit, everything is different: This large freestanding unit is an elegant eye-catcher in a combination of stainless steel and glass. With its large single-section glass front and sleek lighting, this wine cabinet is a desirable designer object without appearing brash. A style that blends in harmoniously with various interior designs, whether in the living room, dining room or kitchen.

Alongside its attractive appearance and the use of choice materials, the new KWT 4974 SG ed also excels in terms of the state-of-the-art technology on board: The 184 cm tall unit has three temperature zones, each independently regulatable and with its own cooling circuit.

This guarantees the optimum drinking temperature for exquisite wines nestling safely in the acacia racks – whether red, rosé or white or even champagne. Each of the three temperature zones can be set with precision to any temperature between 3°C and 20°C. And temperatures are visible at all times through the glass door to ensure that optimum storage conditions are maintained throughout. Selection is simple and uncomplicated, with parameters keyed in via pushbutton controls. And the operating controls can be easily locked to prevent changes from being made by inquisitive guests or children. And, to ensure that guests look with their eyes and not their fingers, access can even be barred entirely using the concealed lock on the top of the unit.

And to facilitate wine tasting in the comfort of your own home, the attractive acacia racks can be drawn out on telescopic runners to a distance of 33 cm, allowing easy access to the second row of bottles at the rear.

The three temperature zones differ in size to account for personal preferences: 36 bottles at the top, 45 in the centre and 62 in the lower compartment, allowing a total of 143 Bordeaux bottles to be conditioned at the same time. As a rule of thumb, wine connoisseurs recommend between 7°C and 12°C for white and rosé wines and champagne, whereas full-bodied red wines develop their bouquet best at a pleasant 15°C to 18°C.

Undisturbed storage requires great care and attention to ensure that potentially harmful external influences are reliably eliminated. Humidity in Miele's wine conditioning unit is maintained at consistently high levels to ensure that corks do not dry out and become brittle. A fan in each of the three zones circulates air and, in conjunction with an activated carbon filter, prevents extraneous odours from entering the cabinet. The glass door also absorbs ultra-violet light; the LED lamp inside the cabinet has no effect whatsoever on stored wines.

This puts Miele's unit at the top of its league, both in terms of design and sophisticated technology, an appliance bringing together the best of wine culture and interior design.