The Best Wine Rack Buying Guide
Table of Contents
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Why You Need a Wine Rack?
One of the worst nightmares for every wine lover is to run out of good wine. It is their greatest nightmare that wakes them up at night and makes them check whether their precious wine bottles are stacked untouched in their wine rack.
Every committed wine lover doesn’t care just about the wines they possess, but also how they are stored.
Having a wine cellar or a wine refrigerator is great, but that can be a quite considerable investment. And if you are just beginning to explore the wonderful world of wines, that might seem like over-reaching.
Instead, the best and most logical way to keep your wine bottles safe is with the help of a wine rack. They cost less, and they are available in various styles and sizes.
Here’s our take on what it takes to choose the best possible wine rack. We have listed the ten most important factors that one needs to consider when choosing a wine rack.
10 Factors to Know Before Buying a Wine Rack
1. Types of Wine Racks
Wine racks come in various styles and shapes. However, most can be classified as part of one of the following groups of wine racks.
- Wall-mounted wine racks: They are very stylish, modern, and can save you a lot of floor space.
- Table-top wine racks: Typically, they can store just a few bottles. The emphasis is more on the design than on storage. They are very portable and can be kept anywhere in the house like on the fireplace mantel, the kitchen counter, on a book-shelf, etc.
- Floor Wine Racks: They are very popular as they are very economical and decorative. They can come in big sizes and can fit up to a few dozen wines. The only real downside is that they will take some of the floor space.
- Stackable Wine Racks: As the name suggests, these wine racks can be stacked upon each other. Their capacity can be expanded two or three times their original stack.
2. Capacity
One of the most difficult things to predict is the amount of wine you will want to store. The answer depends not only on the amount of wine you drink but also what types of wine do you like to drink most.
The thing is, not all wine bottles are the same size, and not all can fit in a standard opening. For example, magnum bottles are larger than the standard Bordeaux bottles. Most Champaign bottles, some chardonnay, as well as some Burgundies have openings that are larger than the standard 3 ½-inch space.
Then you need to consider the number of wine bottles you want to store. Ten, fifteen, twenty, more? So, you also keep that in mind when you start scouting for wine racks.
3. Wine Rack Materials and Construction
Wine racks are available in all shapes and sizes. Most of the wine racks are made of wood, but some are made of metal. Nowadays, one can find wine racks made from all sorts of wood, from mahogany to pine.
Top wine racks are typically made from either mahogany or redwood. They are strong enough to bear the heaviest wine bottles and can last quite a long time. On the other hand, some more affordable wine racks are made from softer woods like pine.
Wooden wine racks are often preferred because they are made in various designs. They are also very sturdy, and can easily blend in any interior. Furthermore, they are low maintenance, which is also very convenient for most folks.
Whether you are into metal or wooden wine racks, the construction can be free-standing or mounted on the wall. Diamond-shaped wine racks were all the rage for some time. However, diamond-shaped wine racks don’t provide enough support for rounded-shoulder bottles. Apart from that, if you are living in an earthquake-prone area, then you should consider something that doesn’t tip over.
4. Location
Before you think of buying a wine rack, it’s essential to find the space where it will be placed. Wine racks don’t come with temperature and humidity regulation. Instead, they need to be located in a room that has the right humidity and temperature.
If the temperature in the room is too high, it will ruin them. On the other hand, too much cold will have the same daunting effect. Also, if they are regularly exposed to the sun, that can be bad, too. That’s why you need to make sure that the room is properly ventilated.
5. Design
Wine racks are widespread, and they come in all sizes, shapes, and forms. Therefore, it is possible to find one that will match your home’s interior. Thanks to the internet, you don’t have to wander from one to another store so you can find that perfect fit.
Search engines like Google and Bing host hundreds of thousands of wine rack pictures. Then there are social media pages like Facebook and Twitter that allow keyword searches. Last but not least, Pinterest and Instagram can too be used for finding wine rack pictures.
Once you find one that you like, you can try a picture search. That can lead you to whoever makes that particular wine rack or, at the very least, who is selling it.
6. Installation
Some wine racks are delivered unassembled. All you get is the assembly parts, a manual, screws, or handles. Truth is some are more complex than others. So it all comes down to how crafty you are.
Typically, it is the wall-mounted type of wine racks that require the most attention and some assembling skills. If it is a big wine rack, you might need someone to assist you with the installation. Also, keep in mind that you might need an electric screwdriver set to complete the installation.
If you are not a person that is good with electric tools and assembling stuff in general, you might consider buying a wine rack that is already assembled.
7. Extras
Typically the most expensive wine racks are the ones that come with the extras. Some wine racks even serve as a table and wine storage. Then others have a simple drawer or a cabinet for the wine accessories.
Even though many wine lovers will find the extras unnecessary, some will find them nice and practical. Almost all extras are a perfect match for the overall design and fit just nicely with the overall appearance of the wine rack.
The downside is the price tag that typically follows wine racks with extras.
8. Scalability
Most wine racks come with a fixed capacity. What you see is what you get, and there is no way to make any upgrade. However, some can be upgraded with additional wine holders if needed. As mentioned earlier, the term used for this type of wine racks is stackable.
But stackable doesn’t always mean stacking wine racks on top of each other. Sometimes that can mean adding additional wine stacks next to each other.
9. Weight
This is especially important if you plan to buy a wall-mounted wine rack. The biggest ones can be quite heavy, and when you add bottles, they will weight even more.
If it is a solid brick wall, you won’t have any problems. However, if it is a drywall or plaster wall, the wine rack might fall and even take a part of the wall with it. That’s why it is essential to check your wall and how much weight it can withstand before making a purchase.
10. Mobility
Mobility for small racks featuring only a few bottles is rarely an issue. You just grab it, and you can take it in any room you like. But if it is a bigger wine rack, mobility might be an issue. Then there is the added weight from the bottles it holds. If you are the type of person that likes to move things around, you need to look for types of wine racks that are easy to move around, or they come with some handle on the side.
If you want to keep the wine-rack in a specific area, a wall-mounted wine rack is an excellent option. Apart from that, you also need to consider how secure the bottles are when you try to move around the wine rack. Sometimes you won’t be able to move the wine rack without first removing all the bottles.
Wrapping It Up
Most of the stuff here is probably nothing new to you, or you’ve followed those principles when scouting for other products. But the thing is they are effective. Stick to them, and you can’t go wrong.
Emphasize quality and keep things simple. Take your time to find a wine rack you like, check if it checks all the boxes, read what others have to say about it, find where you can buy it, and that’s pretty much all. The only part remains is to fill it with your favorite wines and enjoy it.
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