Erik Neilson on August 22, 2017 0 Comments There are so many different tools available to the modern-day wine consumer to help deepen their appreciation with the hobby today that it’s often difficult to know where to start. Between specialty corkscrews, high-tech aerators, custom glassware and dozens of other accessories, the sky’s the limit when it comes to incorporating your love for wine into your kitchen. Perhaps the best way to combine wine and decor within your home, however, is via wall-mounted wine racks. Wall-mounted wine racks are the perfect juxtaposition between form and functionality. While they’re not ideal for aging wines for long period of time, they’re perfect for allowing you to showcase a portion of your collection or simply for storing everyday wines for pulling off the wall at any given time. Here are just a few things to keep in mind if you’re in the market, all of which will help lead you to finding the best wine rack to match your unique style and decor of your home. The Material One of the most important things to take into consideration when shopping for a wine rack is the type of material that will best fit your home. While a wall-mounted wine rack can certainly be made out of a whole plethora of different types of materials, the most common two you will find are wood and metal. Each of these two materials comes along with its own distinctive set of pros and cons. Wooden Wine Racks Wooden wine racks, for example, can add a “natural” touch to any room they’re placed in — especially when they’re mounted to a wall. It’s even possible to find wall-mounted wine racks that are constructed out of recycled barrel staves, which can serve as true conversational pieces and will instantly be commented on by any wine lover who enters your house. Wood can crack with age, however, rendering some racks made of wood useless over time. Metal Wine racks So, what about metal? It’s a modern, streamlined material that will look great in any home. Metal wine racks tend to be less ornamental than those made out of wood, which means that your bottles are the star of the show rather than the rack itself. They also tend to be much lighter than wall-mounted wine racks made out of wood—a plus if you don’t have many studs in your walls. Finally, wine racks that are made out of metal tend to be cheaper than those which are made from wood, so your budget may actually play a big role in the end decision. The Design The second factor that you’ll want to consider when getting ready to purchase a wall-mounted wine rack is design. When most people think of design, ornamentation and style come to mind, and those are certainly aspects to be considered. Box-style wine racks that can be mounted to the wall allow you to stack bottles on top of one another, and they’re ideal for storing multiple bottles of the same label. They can be heavy, though, which means they’re not right for certain walls. Some wine racks allow for vertical storage up the side of the wall, while others extend horizontally and display the wines along the length of the wall. Clearly, there are going to be certain rooms where horizontal racks won’t work, as well as those where ceiling height restricts how how a vertical wine rack can go. Thus, the room often serves as the major factor in determining which design will work best. Storage Capacity Another important thing to think about when getting ready to buy a wine rack is the storage capacity. Ask yourself these questions: Just how many bottles are you hoping to store on the wall as opposed to another area within your home, such as a wine fridge or a cellar, that allows for storage out of sight? Do you intend to rotate different wines in and out of your wall-mounted rack? Are your walls sturdy enough to hold the weight of multiple bottles? These and other questions are important to ask yourself before settling on any specific purchases. Design will come into mind here, too, as many racks that hold more than just a few bottles will be utilitarian in shape and style. Don’t sell yourself short, though. Go for the wine rack that’s big enough to accommodate what you think you might someday like to display. Choosing Where to Install a Wall-Mounted Wine Rack Once you’ve finally settled on which decorative wine rack is the best fit for your home, it’s time to decide where to put it. Mounting in the Kitchen The kitchen is the most common option, but it’s important to realize that heat and humidity can both affect the quality of a wine over time. Kitchen environments tend to be quite hot, especially while the stove or oven is being operated. Smell can also be a big issue when storing wines in a kitchen environment. Many people don’t realize that oxidation and dry corks can lead to smells entering the bottle over time, which can go on to ruin a wine completely if nothing is done to stop the problem from occurring. Thus, the kitchen is probably not a great place to store your wine unless you plan on drinking it rather quickly. Mounting in Living / Dining Room If the kitchen is out of the question, you may want to consider your living room or dining room. Both of these spaces allow you to store your wines in an area where guests will see them, and since temperature and humidity issues shouldn’t be at play, you won’t have to worry about outside factors upsetting the wine. That said, be sure that wherever you do install your wall-mounted wine rack is an area that doesn’t get any light throughout the day. Light can actually speed up the aging process, thus changing the characteristics of your wine for the worse. Final Thoughts Mounting a wine rack on your wall is an excellent way to add style and decor to any home. It allows you to showcase a portion of your collection while keeping wine at an arm’s length should guests arrive unexpected. Once you’ve chosen the right material, settled on a design and decided upon where to install it, you’ll be able to enjoy the convenience and style of your new wall-mounted wine rack for years to come.
