Wine Racks, A Holiday Solution

Wine racks are an organizer's dream.  They are beautiful, come in an array of home decor styles and offer multiple organization options.

Storing ones special selection of wines and wine glasses is the original intent for a wine rack.  However they work well for other decorative storage solutions too. 

Guests coming in for the holidays this year?  Use an elegant wine rack that bests compliments your home decor to beautifully display additional hand towels in the guest bathroom or the 1/2 bath.  Your company will appreciate having extra towels available without having to bother you or poke around in your linen closets themselves.

How about using that wine rack to put in your spare bedroom for your guests.  Fill it with a couple of magazines for their reading enjoyment, a couple pairs of fuzzy cozy socks to keep their feet warm, and a bottle of their favorite wine to enjoy just before bed.  Place the rack on a tray with wine glasses, wine opener and even some light nighttime snacks.  Your guests will appreciate the gesture and I am sure will enjoy a wonderful nights sleep.

Have last months magazines laying on your coffee table and you haven't finished reading them?  Roll them up slightly and stick them in a wine rack.  Many floor model racks would work well for this purpose.  

Place magazines in rack to keep them organized.

Place the rack in the living room corner and get those magazines off the coffee table.  They will be close by, neatly organized and easy to access when you are ready to finish reading them.  This would work well with newspapers too when you haven't read every section or you want to hang on to the sports section for the football line-up.  Roll it up and place it in the wine rack.  Off the floor, off the coffee table, neatly organized and easy to access.

Serve wine for the holidays.  Wine is a ready made beverage and with a self serve wine bar available, keeping your guest happy will be easier than ever. 

Have a filled wine rack placed on your kitchen island or counter top.  Place wine glasses on a tray with a wine opener and create a self serve wine bar that keeps your wines available to your guests.  When guests are ready they can open and pour the wines themselves.  You could even place a sign saying "Help Yourself" in a decorative frame nearby.

Use these tips and keep your holidays stress free while treating your guests like the special people they are. 

Consider Proper Wine Storage when Selecting a Wine Rack

Okay, I am just going to put it out there.  Not everyone can afford to have a cellar for proper wine storage. And even if you can,  you may just want an interesting artistic way to display and store a few bottles in your kitchen or dining area.   Hence the beauty of the wine rack.  A wine rack not only is the average wine drinkers answer to wine storage, but it is the wine lover's iconic display of their knowledge of and passion for wine.  It makes sense then to consider proper wine storage when selecting a wine rack for you home.  

I consulted 3 sites, Vintage Cellars, CellarNotes.net and redstowhites.com.  All 3 sites agree that light, temperature, and humidity are the three factors that have the most direct effect on wine preservation.  Selecting an area with no vibration was also mentioned as important by all of these sites.  But before we look more deeply into these 4 areas I feel it is important to point out what redstowhites.com explains about the majority of wines sold in the US today.


"The majority of wine, made or imported into the USA up to the $20.00 price point, is meant to be consumed within a year or two of the release. Some of these wines will get better in a year or two and its fine to keep them around a little longer, but most of the world's wines (about 90%) are meant to be consumed young."

That being said, wine storage is still important, but unless you are planning on buying and keeping wines for 2 or more years, perfect storage conditions may not be as critical.


Light:


The problem with light and wine is that light can interact with the wine's phenolic compounds to create unpleasant characteristics.  However, according to Cellarnotes.net most modern bottles have ultraviolet filters built into the glass that help protect the contents from most of the effects of UV rays.  You will still want to keep your wines out of direct sunlight. Therefore, when considering a wine rack style, i.e. table top, wall mount, or wine furniture, think first about a location in your home that is protected from direct sunlight.  Maybe the north wall in your dining room stays shaded, or the countertop in your kitchen gets the least direct sunlight.  A shaded spot in the study is also a great place to consider putting your wine rack. 


Temperature:

According to all 3 sites 55 degrees is the ultimate temperature for storing wines.  However, without a cellar that is difficult to accomplish.  But remember, most wines sold in the US are not meant to be stored for longer periods of time, but to be opened while still young.  Redstowhites.com does say that storing wines in your home is acceptable.  Keeping the temperatures of your wines constant is key. Temperature fluctuations can be damaging to your wines. So although you may not have it at 55 degrees, a constant temperature is helpful.

"Although, it is possible to store wine at an acceptable temperature in a house or apartment, you should choose your spot carefully.  North-facing walls and nooks and crannies are places to examine."

Humidity:

The importance of humidity is related to keeping the cork moist and if you are not storing your wines for the long term then keeping your bottles on their side will help keep the corks moist until you open them.

Vibration: 
  
"Regular or constant vibrations from pumps, motors or generators should be avoided since the vibrations they cause are thought to negatively affect the evolution of the wines."  Cellarnotes.net

So do not place your wine rack on top of your refrigerator or dryer.  


And one final note that all sites also mention.  Do not store your wines in areas where strong odors exist.  The wines may pick up the odors in their flavors.  Yuck who wants a wine that tastes of car gas fumes?

A quick recap of things to consider before you purchase your wine rack. 

Select a space that is shaded from direct sunlight, the darker the better.

The area should have no vibration.

Be sure not to choose a location that would put your wine around strong odors.

And lastly select an area where temperatures will stay more consistent (not the garage if is is not temperature controlled.) 

Once you have chosen the best locations for a wine rack in your home then you can select your wine rack and fill it up.   Keep in mind one last point.  If you are storing wines that use cork closures, then you want to select a rack that will have the wine bottles on their sides or upside down to keep the cork moist. 

Bottles stored on their sides is key to correct wine storage.

If you follow these tips you can be confident that you will be able to store your wines correctly enough to enjoy great tasting wine every time.  For tips and ideas on serving wine visit our sister blog wineranddiner.

Organizing Wine with Wine Racks

Martha Stewart had this great Do It Yourself idea for storing wines.   With just two boards you can turn a pantry or kitchen cabinet shelf into a wine rack.

Go to MarthaStewart.com for complete directions.

I love the idea but if you are not a do it yourself person then even something as simple as this can be too much to handle.  I offer this idea as an alternative.  Place a wine rack already made in a cabinet or even your pantry.  Just take the measurements of the space to be sure the wine rack you select will fit.  This approach offers you more diversity as well. Should you decide you may need the shelf for other things, you can remove the wine rack and place it somewhere else.  The wine rack is also available for you to use for entertaining.  See our sister blog wineranddiner for ideas on using wine racks in entertaining.

At WineRackDecor.com we offer a selection of decorative wine racks for your home wine storage needs.

Wine Racks Add Beauty to your Home

On the kitchen counter or the dining room buffet, an elegant wine rack is a perfect choice for storing and displaying your favorite wines and wine glasses. 


There is just something pleasing to the senses when it rests on a beautiful wine rack filled with a carefully chosen selection of wines.  One begins to wonder about the wines themselves.  Are they from Italy, France or Napa Valley California?  Are the red wines full bodied cabernets or lighter pinot noirs. Are the white wines buttery chardonnays, crisp pinot grigios or bubbly white zinfandels?  Your mouth begins to water just thinking of all the interesting flavors.

Kitchen counter tops offer excellent space for an elegant display of ones wines

The proud owner of the wines becomes something of an icon as well.  Did they travel to France or California for these wines?  Where do they buy their wines? Possibly they are members of a wine club.  

The beauty of the wine rack is not lost among all the intrigue surrounding the wines.  The elegant and graceful designs of wine racks available today offer such a selection it can be difficult to know which one to choose.  Seeing a beautiful wine rack filled with wines draws one to go up and touch it,  to admire its beauty more closely.  From there one may look at the other items displayed and admire how the wine rack fits in perfectly with the rest of the owners home's decor. 

Elegant wrought iron wine rack that fits most home decors.

The combination of an orderly yet elegant display of ones favorite wines is a status symbol of sorts.  A display of accomplishment and distinction that the average wine lover can enjoy.