Wine racks and storage options come in many different styles and purchasing budgets. Whether you are an avid wine aficionado, an aficionado in the making, a wine hobbyist, or someone who wishes to protect valuable vintages from prying eyes or place a cherished wine collection of sophistication and refinement on exhibit — the where and how’s of wine storage and wine rack placement is an issue.
It’s important to have an attractive and durable wine rack storage system. It is a given that anyone interested in having a growing wine collection would not want to do so behind a kitchen cabinet.
Most oenophiles (a disciplined devotion to wine, with strict traditions of consumption and appreciation, simply put, a lover of wine) long for a cellar of stocked wine racks, and since digging out a cave in most instances for a wine cellar is impractical and exorbitantly expensive, stand alone wine rack options in a good environment is a good place to start. You do not have to live over an arching grotto, or have the budget of an eighteenth century land baron, to cellar wine. You just have to understand the basics of wine storage pertaining to temperature, humidity and light to do it right.
An important factor with wines is the place where you will store the bottles to age.
Few environments are as potentially destructive to wine as the home. Too much humidity causes mold and damages the labels. This is also why cellars are often tiled rather than carpeted, as carpeting holds moisture facilitating mold. Humidity as high as 70 percent is desirable so corks don’t dry out. When allowed to dry out, corks shrink slightly allowing air into the bottles and oxidizing of the wine occurs. This is also why the wine racks store bottles on their sides: the wine keeps the cork wet, and the oxygen out.
Darkness is preferable, even though most wine is bottled in colored glass to protect it against most light damage. The proper storage temperature of 50-60F enables wine to age slowly to its full complexity. Excess heat cooks off its finer characteristics, while too much chill retards its maturation.
Wine racks are available in a wide assortment of materials, sizes and styles to suit any situation or decor for both home and commercial use: wood, metals like wrought iron and stainless steel, wire, wall mounted or hanging as well as attractive wine furniture pieces to complement the home, restaurant, or business.
Low-cost wine racks can be bought prefabricated or in do-it-yourself assembly kits.
Wine racks made of stainless steel and wire grids are less expensive. These decorative units can have a place for short term storage and display. If you are in the business to sell wine, be sure to showcase your collection with the best retail wine racking possible to help you market and sell more.
The warmth of wood is a popular choice for wine racks to display and store your fine wines. Softwoods such as Pine and Douglas Fir are more prone to warping but usually do not pose a problem if obtained from a good supplier using a premium grade who will stand behind the wine racks’ integrity, making these good, low-cost options, mainly because they’re easier to work with, and lighter to ship than hardwoods.
Distinctive wine racks also come in Maple and Red Oak. However, the best are made from more expensive rainforest woods, such as Californian Redwood. Redwood wine racks absorb moisture with little warping.
The wine rack should be in a cool, dark area of the house, such as the basement, cold storage room or closet. The basement is often the best place in the house for your wine since concrete heats up and cools down slowly. But, be aware that by the end of each season, accumulated heat or cold in the concrete can still make the conditions less than ideal for long-term wine storage.
It’s important to ensure that the room is dark, properly insulated to control the temperature and free from sources of vibration such as furnaces or fridges. Avoid leaving food, cardboard boxes or paint in the cellar. The chemicals in these materials break down over time and it’s possible their odors can seep into the wine through the cork.
Don’t have a full-sized room available to devote to a wine cellar? You can transform a closet or pantry into a customized mini wine cellar - complete with cooling unit and cellar door should you choose.
Buying a wine fridge suits anyone who has limited space.
A wine fridge is temperature and humidity controlled. The kitchen fridge is too cold and isn’t humid enough for wine long term. Wine fridges come in half, full and double sizes, as well as large walk-in style vaults.
Enjoying wine is about celebrating, relaxing, enjoying conviviality and all that it encompasses — taste, history, science, culture, friendship and intimacy. So reach for that special bottle from the wine rack and enjoy!
Grace
Wine connoisseurs and those casual wine lovers will put much effort in finding that perfect wine rack. A fine wine rack will always raise the atmosphere in the room. A well chosen wine rack will add to the overall value of one’s home and it will bring out that special flair of luxury. Buying a wine rack is almost certain to raise some questions. Questions like why you should need a wine rack or which material to choose for a rack will come up.
More than one dilemma is going to cross your mind before you actually go into action.
Why should one buy a wine bottle storage rack? Perhaps you are a wine lover that wants to manifest his passion and it just does not feel right to store those fine bottles anywhere else.
As much as the right storage of bottles is important a beautiful wine rack will also become a real eye-catcher when friends come to visit you. A quality wine rack still emits that special aura of exclusivity. Wine bottle rack is still a strong statement of wealth and a healthy life style.
Which material should I choose for my wine rack?
Besides classic materials like wood or metal, a custom made wine rack can satisfy one’s wildest imagination concerning the choice of different materials. Despite the great selection of different materials, metal and wood still dominate the market. Regarding wood, nowadays every serious wine rack producer offers at least 5 different wood sorts to choose from. Metal wine racks offer the choice of all kinds of metal that will match most sophisticated taste of any true wine lover.
Which wine rack will keep its value for a longer time?
The first step should be to decide what kind of a rack you need in terms of different racking types: a wall mounted wine rack, a free standing one, handing rack or a table top wine rack. Afterwards you will be able to estimate the limits of your budget when thinking of purchasing middle- to upper class wine rack. A decision that rarely brings any disappointment is a decision to buy a hardwood wine rack. Short but bulletproof advice.
Does it matter where I put my wine rack?
In a small to mid-size apartment a wine rack would traditionally find its place in the kitchen or in a dining room. People who consider themselves as burning lovers of wine colleting will scarify almost any other piece of furniture just to put their beautiful wine rack in living room. Wine rack is never a problematic piece of furniture and it will go along with furniture in any room. Those true wine lovers will tend to have their wine collection displayed in a room where family and friends spend majority of their time.
Is a new wine rack too expensive for me?
Starting price for a middle size wine rack storing up to 100 bottles will begin at 50 to 60 USD. Quality wood wine rack storing 60-70 bottles will cost you over 200 USD. Wrought iron wine racks are much more expensive than those entry models of hardwood racks. 350 to 400 USD is the price to count with.
It does not matter whether it is a hanging wine rack in the kitchen or a wall mounted wine rack in a dining room, carefully chosen wine rack will fit any furniture and any special taste of its owner. Wine racks are that additional piece of classy furniture that nobody really needs, but everyone passionately wants to own one.
Carla
It doesn’t really matter whether you’re a true wine connoisseur or not. One of the best things about wine is all the wine accessories and things that you can get for your wines. And since I love this part almost as much as I love the wines and the tasting, I thought that you might enjoy it too. So, with that in mind I’ve listed a few items which you can find to complement your growing interest in wines.
Some of these wine accessories are essential, like a good corkscrew, but the others you’ll probably get just for the fun of it. They’re in no particular order and even if you have no intention of getting any of these (except the corkscrew of course!), and you do actually manage to restrain your buying impulses, it’s fun to read through the list to see what’s available.
Corkscrew; Essential if you’re to open your bottles of wine. Comes in many shapes and designs.
Wine Rack; There’s more than one way to store your wine, and a wine rack is one of the best ways to do this.
Wine Decanter; This glass decanter allows the wine to aerate before drinking it.
Wine Glasses; These too, are an essential item in your wine drinking efforts. The effort should be made to find the correct wine glasses
Stopper; These little gadgets are the best way to stopper your wine after it’s been opened, and they also come in many different shapes and designs
Champagne Flutes; Champagne is best tasted using these specially designed champagne flutes.
Double Wall Stainless Steel Wine Cooler; Double walled stainless steel wine cooler in an elegant heavy duty, high luster collared thermal cooler. Seamless finish all around.
Double Wall Stainless Steel Wine and Champagne Cooler; This stainless steel container is semi-brushed, double walled and straight sided. This container can store either wine or champagne. It doesn’t have a collar and it is seamless.
Rapid Ice Wine Quick Chiller; This cools the wine quickly to serving temperature. You can keep your cooled wine in here for 3 hours. You slip cooling jacket over the bottle and very quickly you will have a chilled wine.
Electronic Infrared Wine Thermometer; You can use this device to find the temperature of the wine before you de-cork it. The infrared technology allows you to see the temperature of the wine in the bottle and in your glass.
Wine Aerator; This device works by letting air bubble into your wine thus cutting down the time that the wine needs to breathe. Softens wine tannins fast.
Black Leather Corkscrew Holder; A classic leather holster that is specially made to be able to carry all waiters’ sized corkscrews. It is made of pure leather and it straps onto any belt.
Corkscrew and bottle stopper; This corkscrew is made from Rosewood. You can use it to uncork a wine bottle or to seal /stop up the bottle
Waiter’s Corkscrew; You open the wine bottle by ratcheting the cork slowly out of the bottle. The process is somewhat like a car jack.
Pine Cellar Cube; This wine rack is easy to stock and it is expandable. The sturdy cubes are made from ¾ inch solid pine. There are four separate compartments for you to store your wine.
Bottle Tasting Table; This table wine rack will hold up to 110 bottles. The top surface of the wine rack serves as a table top. Here you can serve wine and other food pieces, wine glasses and other items that you will need for your wine tasting experience. This bottle tasting table is made from solid Canadian pine.
Avanti Dual Zone Mini Wine Cellar; There are separate compartments for red and white wines. You will find separate temperature controls for each section. You can store 10 bottles in the top section and 18 bottles in the bottom section. There is an interior light that lets you see what is in the mini wine cellar.
Shelf Mounted Glass Hanging Rack; This hanging glass rack can be self mounted. It will easily hold 20 glasses.
Glass Cleaning Brush; You pour a small amount of water into the glass. The brush uses the water in a swilling action to clean the glass.
Ice Bucket; Made of double walled stainless steel. This container provides a good insulation with minimum chilling temperature loss. The silicone sealing ring in the lid provides the bucket with a secure closure.
Professional Bar Glass Wash; This glass wash is made from natural ingredients like plants and salts. It doesn’t contain any solvents or harsh chemical and it is completely bio-degradable. You will not get the taste and smell of any cleansing agent with this item.
Jordyn
