If you are an infrequent wine drinker, you may not think much about storing the red wine that remains in your bottle. You may think that either a refrigerator or kitchen shelves are the best place to store your bottle. However, if you are someone who is into wine, you are more likely to desire a quality drop when you lift your glass.
Wine Design are always available to help you out with wine choices and individualised labelling for personal use, corporate functions or weddings – but once your wine has been purchased, you will likely want to store it. Whether you own a club, bar or restaurant, or have a small home bar or are simply a wine lover, you will need a rack. A wine rack is an essential investment for wine lovers who want to preserve their wine’s quality, texture, nose and palate.
What is a Wine Rack?
As a wine lover or vendor, you always want your product to come out of the bottle the way it was intended, with an intact feel, taste and perfume. In order to achieve this, you should follow a few basic recommendations about the storage of your bottles. When storing wine, you should:
- Maintain low lighting by minimising bright/direct light.
- Maintain a constant room temperature as much as possible (such as in a cellar).
- Keep the cork moist by tipping the bottle downward.
- Eliminate movement of the bottle where possible.
These tips are essential and can only be achieved if the wine is stored smartly and safely. As a shoe rack, a wine rack is a wine accessory that helps you store your wine. It is an organised shelf that can hold a wide variety of wine bottles in such a way that your wine remains in the correct position.
Types of Wine Rack
Wine rack styles vary hugely as can the number of wine bottles they hold, but there are two main types of wine rack: Vertical storage racks and Horizontal storage racks. Some racks are free-standing; others are fixed to a wall. Your choice of a wine rack will depend on your personal style and storage needs.
We do not recommend vertical storage racks for long term storage, because they keep the bottle pointing up, so the cork will eventually dry out and start shrinking, which will allow air into your bottle and spoil the wine. Therefore, vertical wine racks are only suitable if you want to store your wine for a very short time.
Wine Rack Styles
We have compiled a list of styles, for you to research and consider:
- Countertop Wine Racks
Countertop wine racks, also known as tabletop racks, are handy if you only have a few bottles. You can use this wine rack if you don’t have much space or don’t have a cellar. Countertop wine racks are convenient because they allow you to grab a bottle of wine when your guests arrive. This rack does not occupy much space on the counter or table and are relatively affordable.
- Stackable Wine Racks
A stackable rack is a good option if you are just beginning your wine collection journey. It is also a perfect choice for minimalists or people with little storage space. The good thing about this type of wine rack is that you can expand it as your wine collection increases. You can simply buy one set of the stackable wine rack and buy other pairs later.
However, these racks aren’t a permanent solution for long-term wine storage.
- Wall-mounted Wine Racks
If you want long-term, more permanent storage solution for your wine, a wall-mounted wine rack is a great choice. This wine rack will be larger than other types and can accommodate more bottles than the tabletop rack. It is an excellent addition to a small wine room or cellar, especially when you want to save space. Wall-mounted wine racks can also add to your home’s aesthetic value by acting as wall decors.
- Wine cabinets
If your storage space is limited or just want to lock your wine somewhere, a wine cabinet will be your most excellent option. The good thing about a wine cabinet is that it has a space for other accessories, including wine glasses. These cabinets can be positioned anywhere within the house and provide a better climate and lighting conditions than a tabletop or wall-mounted wine racks. The only challenge is that it is not large enough to accommodate extensive collections.
Choosing a wine rack
Now that you know the different types of wine racks, you may be thinking of obtaining one for your home or business. Below are some important factors to consider when searching for a suitable wine rack:
- Material
Win racks are usually made of metal or wood. Wooden wine racks are more popular because of their traditional look, their weight and the ease of which they can be easily wall mounted. However, if your wine will be housed in an area with a damper or cooler climate, a wooded wine rack could deteriorate and come off the wall.
Metal wine racks show a more modern style and this makes them work eclectically with many types of home décor. However, in warm areas, metal wine racks may warm your wine through heat induction.
- Size
When choosing a wine rack, ensure you buy one that can hold all your bottles whilst simultaneously ensuring that it can fit in your available space. If you want to start small and grow your collection over time, you can upgrade to a bigger wine rack and create extra space in your home. If you just want to store just a few bottles, you can opt for a countertop wine rack or a wine cabinet.
Besides rack sizes, you also need to consider bottle sizes. Although most wine bottles are of the same size, others like champagne come in larger bottles. So, the rack you pick should be able to accommodate as many of your wine bottles as possible.
The alternative is to have different racks for different bottle sizes, but this could be expensive in terms of available space.
- Price
Another element of wine racks to consider is your budget. As expected, the larger the wine rack, the more expensive the wine rack, but the type of wine rack will also determine the price. You will most likely spend more on a wine cabinet than a tabletop wine rack, for example.
Enjoy Choosing Your Rack
Every wine drinker and enthusiast reaches a point where they need to stock up some wine, especially if they plan to host dinner parties or entertain special guests. A wine rack comes in handy here, especially for wines that are best enjoyed after a period of ageing. A good wine rack should help preserve the flavour and quality of wine and hold wine bottles perfectly without them falling over.
