For thousands of years, people have been savoring the carefully blended flavors of wine, and those that like to regularly drink wine ensure that their homes include a wine rack.  While a wine rack may not be the first thing on your mind when building or remodeling your home, there is no doubt that it can be an integral part of your home.  Whether it be a small wine rack designed to hold a dozen or less bottles of fine wine, or a larger rack for a wonderful wine collection to be built up over the years to come, a wine rack is an important feature of any house.

Wine Rack Installation

There are many places a wine rack can be built and installed.  For a large wine collection a specific room in the cellar or basement could be the best choice, with a custom built floor to ceiling wall mounted wine rack.  These are usually built of woods like pine or cedar.  Some woods are better suited to wine cellars than others, so if you decide to build your own wine rack, make sure you purchase the right materials.  Storing wine under the right conditions is important to retain its quality, so a purpose-built wine cellar can be the ideal choice.   Sometimes a wine rack is added after the house is built, or as a taste for wine is developed and a collection is desired, and the homeowner will build it themselves, but if you don’t know how to build a wine rack, there are pre-fabricated options that the homeowner can assemble and install.  If you choose to use the services of a decorator and cabinet maker, they can advise you of the best option for your personal wine storage situation and needs.

Choosing A Wine Rack

For smaller collections, or for keeping a few favorite bottles of wine handy, a smaller wine rack can be built into the kitchen or bar area of your home.  Many traditional and contemporary kitchen designs integrate a wine rack.  Alternatively, a portable wine rack can be placed anywhere you want, and moved as required.  Generally, this type of wine rack is only large enough to hold a half dozen bottles.   Not only are they a useful item for storing wine where it is readily accessible, given the designer styles available today, they can also become an essential addition to your decor.  Smaller wine racks are available for counter tops, and generally hold 3 or 4 bottles of wine, which may be sufficient for lighter wine drinkers.  These are often complimented by a matching wine glass rack to hold the many different styles of wine glasses needed for your wine.  These are usually constructed of metal and are more decorative than a standard wooden wine rack.

Wine Rack For Small Spaces

In homes that require economic use of space, a wine rack can be custom built to be placed under the stairs, or alternatively you can affix a wall wine rack to the main wall beneath the stairs.  This is a space that is often not used because of its limitations, so a wine rack can be ideally situated there, keeping your wine easily accessible but tucked neatly out of the way.  If you prefer your wines to be out of view, doors can then be attached to cover the wine, or if you want to proudly display your collection, leave the front of the wine rack open.  Another interesting and unusual option is to install a hanging wine rack, which is suspended from the ceiling, usually in the kitchen area or dining room.  This is a particularly good option when there is very little available floor or wall space, and can become a pleasing feature of the decor

Modular Wine Racks For A Growing Wine Collection

Another wine rack option is matching modular stackable units.  As your wine collection grows, you can add another section to the wine rack, and store your treasured wines.  This is a good option for those that are just beginning to collect wines, as the rack system can grow with your collection.  This is perhaps the most versatile of all the wine racks as it can be assembled and disassembled with ease, and moved to another location.  Usually made of wood, this type of wine rack is bolted together and can be added to easily and quickly.  The design options with this type of wine rack are endless.  Some ideas are to put side by side, or alternatively build to different heights for more aesthetic interest.  A wine rack can also be built into an existing bookcase, or convert a new bookcase into a wine rack, partially or totally.

One other wine rack option is the wine tower or storage cabinet.  These are beautiful pieces of furniture that combine practicality with beauty, to provide an aesthetically pleasing wine storage option.  Placed in a dining room, it keeps your wine collection conveniently at hand.  Should it be to your liking, shopping for an antique wine storage tower can be particularly pleasing, as you consider the history of the piece and all the wonderful wines that have been stored within.  It can also be an interesting topic of conversation at your next wine party.

What’s The Right Wine Rack For You?

While it makes little difference to the wine which type or style of wine rack it is stored in, a wine rack that reflects your personal style, as well as showcases your wine collection to perfection can be a beautiful piece of furniture to be treasured for many years.  Like your wine, the wine rack you lovingly store your wine in, is an indication of your taste in decor, therefore choosing the right wine rack is important.   As most wine racks are permanent fixtures, adequate thought and research should be put in before committing to installing one.  Things to consider are the size of the space you want to put it in, the decor around it, how many bottles of wine you want to store, whether you want it permanently in one place or portable, which room you want to install it in, and what materials you want it to be constructed of.  No matter what type you decide upon, be assured that a wine rack is a great addition to any home, and will provide you with many years of enjoyment.