When’s the last time you poured a perfect glass of Pinot Noir in your own home? If you’re like me from three weeks ago, probably never. Red wines should be served somewhere between 58 and 68 degrees (opinions vary). That’s a bit cooler than room temperature, but unless you want to dedicate money and space to a special refrigerator, you don’t have many good options. Our colleagues at Bon Appétit have, in fact, advocated giving up on life and just keeping your red wine in the fridge and then pulling the bottle out about a half hour before you plan to drink.
Enter the Rocco, which will hold your Gamay at a perfect 58 degrees on a lower shelf while holding your Stella Artois at a perfect 38 degrees a few shelves below. (I used a wireless thermometer to check the temperatures on various shelves; they were dead-on.)
Did I mention it’s gorgeous? In a world of wine fridges that look like Holiday Inn minibars and mini gridges that look like they came out of a dorm, the design-forward Rocco has a distinctive look that’s also neutral enough to fit into rooms with midcentury and modern furniture.
And did I mention it’s $500 off for the next 5ish hours? With, as of publication time, free shipping.
Photograph: Andrew Watman
The “smart fridge” branding is perhaps a bit of bluster. Other than the design, which is incredibly thoughtful and flexible (there’s room for both cans and 750 millilitre bottles), it has an app-based lock, and can allow you to prioritise chilling over volume for when it’s being opened constantly (Party mode) or be quiet in your home theater (Quiet mode). There are other things the app is supposed to do, but I’ve had no luck getting the fridge connected so far—a common problem it seems. There is no Android version of the app, and it also doesn’t work with older Macs, but my iPhone 15 Pro Max and M1 laptop also failed to connect after more than an hour of trying. I’ll report back if I get it working.
What you do get with the Rocco is a very good-looking spot to store drinks behind a triple-thick layer of reeded glass, a choice of several eye-catching colors, and the ability to hold several types of drinks at perfect serving temperature. Oh, and a little branded serving tray and a deck of round playing cards.
