Building Wine Storage Racks

Many wine lovers are skipping the regular trips to the wine store and instead are building wine storage racks and creating their own wine cellars. Creating your own wine racks is a fun and easy do-it-yourself project which allows you to store multiple bottles of wine properly and have them on hand for when a perfect wine occasion arises.

Modules Make it Easy

For those who don?t like building wine storage racks from scratch you can choose a modular system of wine racks. These are ideal for wine cellars and walk in wine rooms and require no anchors to the wall or floor in order to safely house your wine collection. They can be placed anywhere (do be sure that the area is fit for wine storage) and are super easy to put together. They come 90% assembled when delivered and when held together by simple exterior glue the racks will last a lifetime, even in high humidity needed for wine storage. Manufacturers estimate the cost of modular wine racks at three dollars per bottle. Depending on the size of your wine collection you can easily figure out the cost and size of the unit you?ll need. The best part is that you can start out small and add to your wine rack as your wine collection grows.

Wine Racks from Scratch

If building wine storage racks from scratch is more your thing you?ll need to find plans to follow. This allows you to custom make a wine rack to your style preference and size requirements. Just remember that although the aesthetics may vary you will want to build a wine rack that stores the wine bottles horizontally. When storing wine the cork needs to remain wet or it will shrink, causing your wine to spoil. Horizontal wine bottles also make for easier identification of the wine as you can see the labels before moving (and disturbing) the wine.

Your wine rack should have dimensions that allow the largest part of the bottle, approximately seven inches in diameter, to fit securely. You may also be collecting larger bottles of wine, such as champagne, so allow room for the big bottles too.

Choosing the Right Wood

The beauty of building wine storage racks from scratch is that you can match the wine rack to your d?cor. Depending on the wood you choose, you can leave your wine rack with a natural finish or stain it to your desired color. Mahogany is a beautiful and sturdy wood for making wine racks. Often used in furniture making, it will have the strength to hold many bottles of wine safely. Mahogany is a flexible wood so if your design calls for bending of any type this may be a good wood to choose.

For a less expensive wine rack you may want to opt for a softwood such as pine or fir. Pine is fairly inexpensive and is known for its straight and tight grain. It will give you the strength you need for you wine rack but keep in mind that because it is not very flexible it may not be suitable for more intricate designs. Fir is another option with good strength but its flexibility is even less than that of pine. Also, because fir is prone to splitting you will want to pre-drill any holes before screwing or nailing your wine rack together.

When building your own wine racks you will also want to keep your storage needs in mind. Units that can be added on to will accommodate the wine lover as their collection grows. Whether you choose the easy root of modular wine racks or opt for the more customizable handmade variety, building wine storage racks is your best bet for those who love their wine and like to keep even a few bottles on hand at all times.