How To Choose A Wine Rack

Wine racks are available in a wide variety of styles and sizes. For example, if you are serious about collecting wines, you'd love a wine rack that can easily hold dozens or hundreds of bottles without taking up a lot of space.

On the other hand, if you just want to store a few extra wine bottles for when you host a soiree, a functional and decorative wine rack will be much more suitable.

Whatever your wine storage needs are, there is a wine rack out there just for you. This comprehensive guide will give you an idea of the best wine racks in the market so you can find exactly what you're looking for.

There are 4 main types of wine racks, and each one comes in a wide range of styles and sizes.

Countertop Wine Racks

These wine racks are designed to fit on a countertop or a table so they tend to be on the smaller size. But you can find countertop racks that can hold 40-50 bottles easily.

If you want a rack that you can keep in your kitchen for easy access, a countertop wine rack is a safe bet. In addition to kitchen counter space, you can also place these racks on a living room end table, top of a bookcase, or the fireplace mantel.

Wall Mounted Wine Racks

These racks generally do the double duty of holding wine bottles as well as offering a decorative element to the wall. Many wall-mounted racks look like elaborate pieces of artwork, so you can use them to enhance a particular space in your home.

As the name suggests, these racks don't need any floor space. If your home doesn't have a lot of floor space, but has plenty of bare walls, a wall-mounted wine rack will be a great option.

Most wall-mounted wine racks that are decorative in nature can hold between 4-12 wine bottles.

If you're looking for a wall-mounted rack that can hold more than a dozen bottles, you won't find artistic options. It's because the more weight you add to a wall-mounted rack, the greater the risk of it falling. So, the rack's focus will be on sturdiness, and not on style.

Floor Wine Racks

These racks are quite similar to countertop racks, i.e., you can place them on the floor or even a countertop. However, bigger floor wine racks that can hold 100 or more bottles, can only be placed on the floor.

If you consider yourself a collector and want to add to your collection over time, we recommend a floor rack. It can easily store dozens or hundreds of bottles. 

Of course, floor racks are available in smaller sizes (6-12 bottles) as well. If you have ample floor space available, a floor rack will be much better than a wall-mounted rack as there will be no risk of it falling.

Hanging Wine Racks

These may sound exactly like wall-mounted racks but there's a huge difference: hanging wine racks hang under a cabinet space or from the ceiling. In other words, they are not mounted on a wall.

However, just like wall-mounted racks, you'll need to be careful to choose hanging rack that is sturdy. Make sure it's installed properly so you don't have to worry about losing all your precious wine collection in a fall accident.

Hanging wine racks are a very good choice for people who have limited counter or floor space.

There are a few things you will need to determine in your search for the right wine racks.

Material

Wine racks are generally made of wood or metal.

• Wood wine racks come in earthy tones and offer a more traditional look. But if you live somewhere that has a cooler or damper climate (such as Seattle or Alaska), a wood rack may get stained or peeled off.

• Metal or steel wine racks come in many colors but silver and black are two of the most popular choices. These are perfect for a home that has a modern or eclectic décor. However, if you live in a really hot or warm area (like Las Vegas or Phoenix), the metal will heat up fast and warm up your bottles as well.

Capacity and Size

Choose a wine rack that will hold the number of bottles you need to store and fit in the space you have available.

If you're planning to grow your collection and store dozens/hundreds of bottles, you may need to carve out some space in your home for a rack with high capacity.

But if you only want to store a few bottles, you can find a plethora of smaller wine racks that hold bottles in the 4-18 bottle range that can easily fit on your floor, countertop, wall, or hang from your ceiling.

Another important thing to keep in mind is the size of the wine bottle you buy. The majority of wines come in standard bottle sizes, but Bordeaux and Champagne usually come in larger-sized bottles. So, pick a rack that can accommodate the different sizes and shapes of the bottles.

Price

Price will be one of the most important factors for many shoppers. As you can imagine, high-capacity and large wine racks are much more expensive and can go as much as $2,000 in some cases, whereas small racks with a functional design can be bought for as little $20.

You'll find a huge variety of pricing options in between. Racks that are elegantly designed with extra features like drawers and cabinets for wine accessories will cost more. 

Quality also plays a role in the price tag of a rack. If you have made up your mind to buy a wall-mounted or hanging wine rack, it's best to invest a bit extra to buy a high-quality one. This will diminish the risk of a painful loss in case the rack falls down and destroys your bottles.

Extra Features

Depending on your budget and needs, you can also get a wine rack that comes with in-built cabinets, drawers and even a table. Most shoppers don't find these extra features necessary, but if you are planning to buy these items separately, you can save a lot of money by buying an all-inclusive wine rack.

The way you position the bottles on your wine rack will directly impact the flavor of wine.

Wine bottles should be stored sideways so as the wine touches the cork. This will keep the cork moist and prevent air from filtering into the bottle, which causes undesirable oxidation and might lead to your wine becoming sour. 

Also, bottles shouldn't be stored upside down to prevent sediments from collecting around the cork, which, too, might spoil the taste of your precious wine.