Don't Just Throw You Wine Rack On The Counter!

A counter top wine rack is a perfect solution for wine enthusiasts (or wine enthusiasts at heart) looking for a short term storage solution for smaller quantities of wine.  Not only are they stylish, but they are also available in so many varieties of styles, materials and capacities that there is a counter top wine rack to fit the personal tastes of almost anyone.  What most people don’t understand, however is that using a counter top wine rack is not as simple as placing it on a counter and filling it with bottles of wine.  If your wine is going to be consumed quickly this might be ok, but if you are looking to store a bottle of wine for even more than a couple of weeks there are a few things which should be kept in mind to help keep your wine tasting it’s best when you pop the cork.

1. Temperature:  A wine rack should never be placed where it is going to be in close contact with extreme heat, whether it is a counter top wine rack, floor standing or wall mounted.  Never place a wine rack near a heater, stove, oven or other appliance that generates heat.  Wine that becomes too hot can “cook” and degrades the wine.  On the contrary, some wines should never be store in extreme cold either.  For example, a wine rack storing red wine should never be stored near cold drafts.
2. Sunlight:  can also affect the aging process.  It is important to keep wines out of direct sunlight, which is one reason many wines, especially reds, are distributed in tinted bottles.  As such, white wines are usually the most susceptible to sunlight.  Even though UV rays can still affect and if left long enough ruin, a bottle of wine, if your are using a counter top wine rack for short term storage of wine just keeping the bottles out of direct sunlight will be sufficient.
3. Vibration:  If storing wines for any length of time it is best to put it in a place where large heavy vibrations will not be occurring.  For example in my kitchen I have an under counter washing machine/dryer which tends to vibrate and shake quite a bit when in the spin cycle.  It would be unwise of me to put a counter top wine rack on that counter because the vibration from the washing machine would cause the wine to become shaken up and disturb the sediment.

Keeping these three simple factors in mind might initially make it a little more difficult to find the perfect place to put your counter top wine rack, but you will thank yourself for it when you open your first bottle of wine and it tastes perfect!