To Rack or Not To Rack….Your Wine

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So you’ve purchased a whole case of wine!  Now what?  How are you supposed to store this wine?  Keep it in the box? Shove the bottles in a kitchen cabinet? Put it in the fridge?? Well what about a wine rack?

For wine to mature properly, we know you need to have the right humidity, temperature, light condition, and movement.  Whenever you are storing wine for any length of time, you’ll need to ensure that the wine is in a safe place.  Even though there are a few ways that you can store wine, none are safer or smarter than using a wine rack.

When you choose your wine rack, always remember to choose one that will store your wine appropriately.  There are a several styles to choose from, including those that stack, wall mounts, and side mounts.  Pay attention to size as well, as the sizes range from storing a few bottles to storing hundreds.  There are a lot of varieties and designs to select from, all of which depend on your needs, your space and your personal style.

Among the best types of wine racks are the horizontal racks.  Contrary to what many may think, vertical racks aren’t a good choice for storing your wine.  Wine that is stored on vertical racks are stored vertically or standing straight up, which means that the cork will dry out and eventually start to shrink, bringing air into the wine and ruining it.  On the other hand, vertical racks can come in handy when storing wine for short periods of time, or wine that is best consumed immediately.

Tilted racks are another type of rack you should avoid using, as they can dry out the corks or deposit the sediments too close to the cork.  For your wine storing needs, you should always go with a horizontal rack.  Horizontal racks will keep the cork moist and keep unwanted air from making contact with the wine.  The sediment will fall towards the side of the bottle, preventing spillage when you pop the cork.  Horizontal racks are also very affordable, and you can always add more racks to the design with little to no problem.

The materials for wine racks are normally wood or metal.  You can hang them from ceilings, mount them on the wall, or simply place them on the floor.  Metal racks are the strongest, although wood is more flexible.  Wooden racks provide a bit more storage, for the simple fact that you can always add to them.  Wood racks are also visually appealing, durable, and provide plenty of strength.

Here are a few wine racks that look good and will properly provide storage for your wine bottles:

Stackable Wine Rack

Wooden Wine Rack

Wall Mounted Wine Rack

All in all, a wine rack is a fine investment for anyone who appreciates wine.  There are various sizes to choose from, all of which can be very affordable.  The small to medium sizes work best for homes, while the large styles are best for commercial settings.  No matter where you keep your wine – you can count on a wine rack to keep your wine stored for years (or days) to come.  How are you storing your wine stash now?