The three Finest Wine Rack Opinions of 2024, Examined & Reviewed

My home got here with a built-in bar with closed storage for liquor and wine bottles. After a number of years of tightly packing the cupboard with fundamentals, I noticed we desperately wanted a wine rack. It was straightforward to know that we had vodka, tequila, and whiskey readily available, however bottles of Pinot and Syrah had been getting misplaced behind the cupboard—or worse, going dangerous from improper storage. 

A seek for the most effective wine rack started with a number of questions on our wine assortment and the way a lot house we had. After sourcing a few of the most advisable wine storage choices, I introduced house 10 racks of various sizes, supplies, and capacities. Armed with our modest wine assortment, I put the wine racks to the take a look at. Some match completely into the bar house; I  examined others within the fridge, on a wall, or free-standing within the eating space of our house. After a number of weeks of dwelling with and utilizing the wine racks, I discovered three of the most effective ones for storing bottles for on a regular basis events in addition to accumulating. 

The Winners, at a Look

Made in Vermont from strong ash wooden, the J.Okay. Adams 12-Bottle Wine Rack will be configured for a lot of areas. The modular system comes collectively with out instruments and might develop alongside along with your assortment. Plus, it matches equally properly in a cupboard or on a countertop.

The Williams Sonoma Walnut Wine Rack has a basic design and might sit on the ground or countertop. Whereas it’s fairly lengthy, it does have a low profile. As with my high decide, you possibly can add one other unit on high of or beside it as your wine assortment grows. Comprised of walnut-finished pine, it is usually straightforward to mud with out eradicating the bottles.

In search of a starter wine rack or a present for newlyweds? The Crate & Barrel 11-Bottle Gold Wine Rack is sensible and lovely. You need to use this 11-bottle wine horizontally or vertically, making it appropriate for each small and huge areas.  

The Exams

• Meeting Take a look at: I learn by way of the directions for every wine rack. After gathering provides, I constructed the racks to find out how straightforward it was to place every of them collectively and the way lengthy meeting took. This take a look at helped me to determine which supplies had been supreme and to judge the durability of the racks. 
• Filling Take a look at: Armed with 10 bottles of various sizes and shapes, I examined the capability of every rack to find out what number of normal bottles it might accommodate, in addition to its skill to carry 1.5-liter and curved Prosecco bottles. This take a look at additionally helped me assess every rack’s stability. 
• Eradicating and Rearranging Take a look at: Eradicating and reorganizing a few of the bottles on every rack gave me clear perception into ease of use. (For instance, might labels be clearly learn? Did all bottle sorts slot in every area of interest?). It additionally confirmed weak factors in stability. 

What We Discovered

The Most Secure Racks Had been Additionally the Best to Assemble

The racks that had been the toughest to place collectively had been additionally a few of the least steady. For instance, the Wine Racks America Tabletop Wine Rack had complicated instructions and took the longest to assemble (over 22 minutes). It ended up being the least regular throughout filling and reorganizing. By comparability, the successful wine rack from J.Okay. Adams had simply as many components, nevertheless it took just a few minutes to assemble and required no instruments (and no swearing). 

Customizable Racks Had been Ideally suited for Rising Collections

Your assortment of bottles is bound to alter from 12 months to 12 months. Chances are you’ll purchase a case of wine on a particular journey and savor it, otherwise you might need a busy vacation season of consuming and gifting out of your cache. Having a wine rack that may develop or shrink along with your assortment—just like the J.Okay. Adams—is good. 

Area of interest Measurement Was as Necessary as Total Capability 

Whereas I spent lots of time contemplating the footprint of every wine rack to make sure it might slot in a house bar or eating room, I used to be shocked by how a lot the niches of every wine rack impacted precise capability. This could possibly be a trigger for concern in case your wine assortment contains magnums or curved bottles (like people who maintain Prosecco or Champagne). The typical 3.75-inch opening gained’t maintain these bottles, particularly if the area of interest is closed on all 4 sides. All three of my successful wine racks can accommodate extra than simply standard-size bottles. 

Bigger Wine Racks Weren’t Essentially Extra Secure 

Surprisingly, many of the larger-capacity wine racks had been much less steady, even with extra bottles loaded into them. The successful exception, the JK Adams 12-Bottle Wine Rack, has a wider, horizontal base that helps hold it regular whilst you load and unload. 

The Standards: What to Search for in a Wine Rack 

When on the lookout for a wine rack, contemplate your wine assortment and space for storing. When you hold just some bottles readily available and have a small space, your wine rack wants might be totally different than a collector who would possibly think about using a basement closet as a wine cellar. 

Nonetheless, all wine racks ought to retailer bottles on their sides to maintain the corks moist and stop untimely ageing of the wine. Whereas area of interest measurement is necessary—search for no less than 3.75 inches in every opening for ease of loading and label legibility—floor clearance can be an element for preserving bottles recent. Racks that sit immediately on the ground usually tend to expertise temperature fluctuations that impression the wine’s high quality. Wine specialists recommend no less than a two-inch clearance if the rack will sit immediately on the ground. 

Lastly, contemplate supplies. Metallic and completed woods are best to mud should you’ll be pulling out of your assortment sometimes. Unfinished wooden will be painted, stained, or oiled to assist preserve it, however it may be troublesome to mud over time. 

Our Favourite Wine Racks

What we appreciated: One of many best racks to place collectively, the J.Okay. Adams 12-Bottle Wine Rack supplied essentially the most flexibility for rising your wine assortment. It is light-weight and durable. The broad niches and open-top design accommodated normal, curved, and magnum bottles with ease. You may assemble this rack to suit tall, slim areas like cupboards, or construct it quick and lengthy to suit throughout the expanse of a bar. 

What we didn’t like: The J.Okay. Adams doesn’t win any aesthetic awards with its Lincoln Log-like look, however as a result of it’s plain wooden it could possibly be stained or painted to match your decor. 

Key Specs

• Bottle capability: 12 
• Fashion: Freestanding
• Area of interest measurement: 4.25 inches 
• Supplies: Ash wooden 
• Dimensions: 11.25 x 12.5 x 3 inches when constructed as a 4×4 grid 

What we appreciated: This huge-capacity wine rack doesn’t include directions as a result of it’s so easy to construct. The broad base made the rack extremely sturdy even when absolutely loaded. The walnut-finished wooden was straightforward to wipe down when dusty. You should purchase multiples of this rack as your wine assortment grows, stacking them on high of one another, as much as three racks excessive.

What we didn’t like: The items of the rack interlock with one another. Whereas the rack may be very steady as soon as set, it’s a must to disassemble the items to maneuver the rack. You want flooring house or a large counter to make use of this rack. 

Key Specs

• Bottle capability: 18 
• Fashion: Freestanding; can be utilized on a flooring or counter
• Area of interest measurement: Open with 4-inch clearance between racks 
• Supplies: Walnut-finished pine 
• Dimensions: 11.5 x 35.75 x 11 inches

What we appreciated: Attractive and versatile, this wine rack was a winner within the seems to be division, due to its hexagonal niches and easy minimalist design. It is available in each a gold and a graphite end on an iron base, and you need to use it horizontally or vertically. The niches had been broad sufficient to accommodate normal or curved bottles. 

What we didn’t like: This rack can solely accommodate magnum bottles when used horizontally. When oriented vertically, it was just a little unsteady if bottles weren’t distributed evenly. 

Key Specs

• Bottle capability: 11, with an open design that may maintain three further bottles when used horizontally  
• Fashion: Freestanding—supreme for a countertop 
• Area of interest measurement: 4.5 inches 
• Supplies: Gold- or graphite-finished iron 
• Dimensions: 17.25 x 6 x 11.75 inches

The Competitors

• Homevany Bamboo Wine Rack: A close to winner, this rack wasn’t troublesome to assemble, had nice capability, and was straightforward to scrub. Finally, it wasn’t a high decide as a result of it has a set design that may’t develop along with your wine assortment or be reconfigured for different areas. 
• Sorbus Wall Mounted Wine Rack: This rack was properly designed and durable as soon as secured to the wall, nevertheless it requires an expansive wall to hold. It additionally has restricted capability. 
• PAG Arched Freestanding Ground Metallic Wine Rack: That is the model of rack I think about when somebody says “wine rack,” however its tall, slim design was just a little unsteady when absolutely loaded, and it solely held standard-sized bottles. 
• Vino 8 Bottle Oak Wine Rack: I beloved the design of this rack nevertheless it had a small capability and solely held standard-size bottles. 
• Epicurean Matte Black Collapsible Wine Rack: This was one funky wine rack! It packs flat and has a wise design that doesn’t require any instruments to assemble. It didn’t make the listing of winners due to its small capability (it held simply 5 bottles) and a few flexing throughout loading and unloading. 
• Wine Racks America Tabletop Wine Rack: Probably the most troublesome rack to assemble, this one cracked once I was placing the ultimate screw in place. The closed design and small niches meant this wine rack might solely maintain standard-size bottles. 
• mDesign Stackable Fridge Wine Rack: The seek for a fridge rack continues, as this rack didn’t maintain bottles of bubbly very properly—which is very disappointing given that’s most of what it could maintain in lots of properties. 

FAQs 

What number of bottles can a wine rack maintain? 

I polled neighbors and different meals writers, and it appears that evidently most properties must retailer eight to 12 bottles at a time. Extra critical wine collectors want a rack with a capability of 18 to 24 bottles. Every of the successful fashions holds no less than 12 bottles. 

Why do you have to retailer wine bottles on their sides?

Storing wine bottles on their sides means the wine can contact the cork and hold it moist. A dry cork may cause the wine to age prematurely—an necessary consideration should you plan on storing wine for a very long time. 

Is a wine fridge higher than a wine rack?

Wine fridges are perfect for collectors or wine connoisseurs who wish to hold sure vintages or varieties chilled. Fridges additionally require electrical energy and extra flooring house, so in the end the reply to this query is dependent upon your wine preferences and residential measurement. Wine racks work properly for many properties during which bottles might be consumed inside a 12 months. 

Why We’re the Consultants

• Meghan Splawn is a contract meals author and recipe developer who has labored in meals media since 2006. 
• Her work contains 10 years within the take a look at kitchen with Alton Brown, in addition to at websites like Merely Recipes, TheKitchn.com, and Critical Eats. 
• For this story, she spent two weeks testing wine racks in her house, which incorporates two children and a giant, clumsy canine working previous the racks day by day.