Wine Accessories -- A Wine Lover's Mark

The popularity of wine spreads all over the world.  This drink loved by all, is perhaps one of the oldest alcoholic beverages available.  A true wine lover not only loves to drink it, but also loves to serve it to other people.  For a wine connoisseur, a wine rack is a must to have in his house.  Wine racks are both decorative as well as utilitarian.  It is for holding your collection of different wine bottles, and for many it is like a display which they always are proud of.

Wine racks:

There are so many different designs of wine racks you can find.  Depending on your taste, whether you want an old classic look or a modern touch, you can choose the wine rack.  Wood is still the most loved storage wine rack.  There are a few wine racks that are even made for storing wine inside the refrigerator.  Wine bottles have to be kept and stored with utmost care.  These wine racks hold the bottles in contact with the cork, thereby preventing any loss of taste or smell of delicate liquids.

Wine racks can be made up of wood, metal, wrought iron, etc.  It is said that wrought iron racks are best, as they can not only be made into different artistic designs, but they are also sturdy, thus providing good support for your wine bottles.  For a classic Victorian look, go for a wooden wine storage rack.  This is also safe to use as it can go with any kind of furniture you have at home.  You can also buy table top racks if you are short of space in the house.

Things to remember:

For those who have a large collection of wine, you can also go for a refrigerator wine storage rack, as the refrigerator will keep the temperature under control.  There are a few things that you should remember while buying a wine storage rack:

• Decide on the place where you want to keep the rack, be it your kitchen or your dining area.  Depending on that, you can decide on what type of rack you want.
• If you have a big space, you can have choices as to what type of racks you want, but incase you are short of space, you can go for a hanging one or a wall rack.
• Check out the size, shape, and the number of bottles you want, and then you can decide whether you will need a big rack or if a small one will do.
• Find out the different price ranges and compare prices from all different dealers.  Buy the one that suits your budget.

A wine rack cannot be complete without wine accessories.  The most common ones include wine glasses, corkscrews, wine totes, coolers, wine stoppers, wine bottle holders, corkboards etc.  A wine corkscrew is an important tool.  There are many types of corkscrews available, though all serve the same purpose.  One end has to be screwed directly into the cork's center, and then the handle is used to lift the cork out of the bottle.  Now you can also find decanters for enhancing the look of your display.  They are glass bottles with designs on them, and they are also great for maintaining the flavors of wine rather than to keep in open bottles in your rack.

These wine accessories also make a perfect gift for someone who has a taste for fine things in life.

How To Choose The Right Wine Rack

Have you just bought a dozen expensive European reds, but have no suitable wine rack to store them?  Are you a budding wine enthusiast and wondering how to choose the right wine rack for your growing wine collection?

Well-designed wine racks that keep wines from being moved too much could be the answer to your wine storage problems.  By keeping bottles in a horizontal position, good wine racks allow the wine to keep the cork moist so that it doesn’t dry out and allow air into the bottle.

It was the Romans who developed better wine storage methods, keeping wine in barrels and bottles.  But how do you solve the modern-day problem of finding space and the right wine rack for your wine collection?

Tips on how to choose the right wine rack for your wine collection

1. It is important to ask how many bottles you're going to store and when you're going to drink them.
   • If you have a dozen bottles, ready for drinking within a month or two, then all you may need is a wine rack that sits on the floor in a closet somewhere on the north side of the house.
   • If you are a serious collector and want to store your wines for more than a year to maybe ten years, then you may need modular wine racks that hold hundreds of  bottles of wine.  A cellar or converted cellar measuring less than 3 meters square will easily hold 100 dozen bottle bottles or wine.
2. The second most important question is where are you going to put your wine racks?  The best place for wine storage is a cellar or cellar-like place that is dim, cool, and stable in temperature and movement, slightly humid and with few odors.  The worst place would be the top of the fridge where you get vibration, constantly changing temperature, heat from the kitchen and constant exposure to light.
   • In most modern homes the cellar-like place can be a large closet, a walk-in wine pantry, space under a stairway, a specially constructed and insulated room with wine racks and wine cellar cooling systems, or even a converted corner of the garage.
3. What material do you want for your wine rack?
   • If you want a modern look, you may opt for a stainless steel wine rack.
   • If you want the traditional look of wood, then you can choose from inexpensive pine to more expensive oak, walnut, cherry, western red cedar or mahogany.
   • If you want novel styles and shapes then you may opt for wrought iron which can be moulded into various shapes and powder-coated in various colors to match your home décor.
4. What style do you want?
   • Do you have enough space for a freestanding wine rack?
   • Do you want your wine racks incorporated into fitted cupboards?
   • Do you want them hanging or mounted to the wall if space is limited?
   • Or do you want stackable wine racks that allow you to increase your storage space when you need it?
5. Is your wine rack sturdy, stable and strong enough to bear the weight of your wine bottles?  Is the wine rack made of durable and attractive material such as Philippine mahogany?  Does the wine rack have full 13.5 inch-deep shelves for full bottle depth and added stability?  Does the manufacturer provide at least one year warranty?
6. Other important questions to ask would be:
   • Do you have enough space not only to store your wine bottles on their side but to be able to rotate them occasionally to preserve their flavour?
   • Does your wine rack have slightly wider openings allowing storage for most Champagne and Burgundy style bottles, as well as standard size 750 ml bottles?
   • Does it have angled front slats to avoid damage to labels and your hands?
   • If you are buying a wine rack kit, are they pre-drilled and screw together using simple tools for easy assembly?
7. And last but not least what is your budget?  Most wine rack stores -- whether online or brick and mortar -- stock a range of wine racks to suit all budget and tastes and some even include free shipping.

For less than $30, you can get a stackable metal wine rack with simple lines that hold up to 4 bottles.  Or for less than $200, you could get a wooden wine rack in handsome mahogany, 6 columns wide and 9 rows high that will hold 60 bottles of your favorite wines.  Take your pick.