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

My home got here with a built-in bar with closed storage for liquor and wine bottles. After a couple 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 available, however bottles of Pinot and Syrah had been getting misplaced at the back of the cupboard—or worse, going unhealthy from improper storage. 

A seek for the most effective wine rack started with a couple of questions on our wine assortment and the way a lot house we had. After sourcing a few of the most really useful wine storage choices, I introduced dwelling 10 racks of various sizes, supplies, and capacities. Armed with our modest wine assortment, I put the wine racks to the check. 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 dwelling. After a number of weeks of residing 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 amassing. 

The Winners, at a Look

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

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

Searching for a starter wine rack or a present for newlyweds? The Crate & Barrel 11-Bottle Gold Wine Rack is sensible and beautiful. You should use this 11-bottle wine horizontally or vertically, making it appropriate for each small and enormous areas.  

The Exams

• Meeting Take a look at: I learn via 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 check helped me to resolve which supplies had been ultimate 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 commonplace bottles it may accommodate, in addition to its means to carry 1.5-liter and curved Prosecco bottles. This check 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, may 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 secure. 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.Ok. Adams had simply as many components, but it surely took only some minutes to assemble and required no instruments (and no swearing). 

Customizable Racks Had been Very best for Rising Collections

Your assortment of bottles is certain 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 may need a busy vacation season of ingesting and gifting out of your cache. Having a wine rack that may increase or shrink along with your assortment—just like the J.Ok. Adams—is right. 

Area of interest Dimension Was as Essential as Total Capability 

Whereas I spent numerous time contemplating the footprint of every wine rack to make sure it may slot in a dwelling 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 consists of 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 secure, 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 searching for a wine rack, think about your wine assortment and space for storing. When you hold just some bottles available and have a small space, your wine rack wants shall be completely 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 getting older of the wine. Whereas area of interest measurement is essential—search for at the least 3.75 inches in every opening for ease of loading and label legibility—floor clearance can be an element for preserving bottles contemporary. Racks that sit straight on the ground usually tend to expertise temperature fluctuations that affect the wine’s high quality. Wine specialists counsel at the least a two-inch clearance if the rack will sit straight on the ground. 

Lastly, think about supplies. Steel and completed woods are best to mud when you’ll be pulling out of your assortment occasionally. Unfinished wooden will be painted, stained, or oiled to assist keep it, however it may be tough to mud over time. 

Our Favourite Wine Racks

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

What we didn’t like: The J.Ok. 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 
• Type: 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 favored: 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 totally 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 could be very secure 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 
• Type: 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 favored: Beautiful and versatile, this wine rack was a winner within the appears to be like 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 commonplace or curved bottles. 

What we didn’t like: This rack can solely accommodate magnum bottles when used horizontally. When oriented vertically, it was a little bit 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  
• Type: Freestanding—ultimate 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 tough to assemble, had nice capability, and was straightforward to scrub. Finally, it wasn’t a high decide as a result of it has a hard and fast design that may’t develop along with your wine assortment or be reconfigured for different areas. 
• Sorbus Wall Mounted Wine Rack: This rack was nicely designed and durable as soon as secured to the wall, but it surely requires an expansive wall to hold. It additionally has restricted capability. 
• PAG Arched Freestanding Ground Steel Wine Rack: That is the type of rack I think about when somebody says “wine rack,” however its tall, slim design was a little bit unsteady when totally loaded, and it solely held standard-sized bottles. 
• Vino 8 Bottle Oak Wine Rack: I beloved the design of this rack but it surely 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 checklist 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: Essentially the most tough 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 may 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 nicely—which is very disappointing given that’s most of what it might maintain in lots of houses. 

FAQs 

What number of bottles can a wine rack maintain? 

I polled neighbors and different meals writers, and plainly most houses have to 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 at the least 12 bottles. 

Why must you 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 essential consideration when 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 prefer to hold sure vintages or varieties chilled. Fridges additionally require electrical energy and extra flooring house, so finally the reply to this query relies on your wine preferences and residential measurement. Wine racks work nicely for many houses through which bottles shall 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 consists of 10 years within the check 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 dwelling, which incorporates two children and a giant, clumsy canine working previous the racks each day.