A wine rack is a device that holds bottles of wine horizontally, or at a position where the wine remains in constant contact with the cork. It is very important to keep the wine in contact with the cork when the wine is in storage; if not, the cork could potentially dry out and the wine might spoil.

Wine racks can be made of many materials such as wood, steel and stone and come into many different designs from the plain to the very ornate. They can often hold several bottles of wine up to many thousands depending on the requirements and design. Wooden wine racks tend to be the most popular choice, and are commonly used among people who own wine cellars.

Traditional wooden wine racks give the user flexibility. Many users starts with one wine rack and as their collection grows they can add more, as many wooden wine rack assemble kits have connecting systems that allow them to do this which also gives a seamless appearance.

Types of Wood

Wine racks made from wood are most commonly made from fir, pine or cedar, cedar being the darkest of the lot. Cedar - There is often concern often the smell of cedar but after it has gone through processing, the odour ceases to exist. It can be easily stained through its dark colour for ornamental purposes, and is very durable and stable. They can last for many years and therefore are ideal for wine that is going to be stored for a long period of time. Pine - Pine wine racks can be stacked to a desired height without far if collapse if they are secured well because pine wood has a close grain and is therefore very strong. They are light in appearance and can easily be stained or painted. Fir - This is the most economical, and is most easily stained when in lighter shades. They come in all sizes. Where can you purchase them online?

Winerackshop.com - They sell a large range of wooden wine racks, allowing you to design your own. They have a sizeable collection of wood wine rack assembly kits, which come with a wrench; the only tool needed to bring together the rack. Prices are quite moderate. (www.winerackshop.com)

Winerackstore.com – This company claim to have the lowest price wooden wine racks on the internet, and state that is you see the same product advertised for less somewhere else within 60 days of your purchase date they will pay you 110% of the difference.

Wood wine racks are great for any wine collector, either small or big. They are easy to assemble, and easy to maintain and do not require much upkeep. If you are a wine collector, they are a great investment.

Have you ever been to a winery and had the opportunity to taste different styles bottled there? Have you ever been to a wine tasting at a local beer and wine store? How about one at a friend’s house? Have you ever wanted to, but did not know where to look, or how to act once you got there? Wine tasting events are popular and fun excursions for you and an adult partner who would also enjoy such an event.

Why go to a Wine Tasting?

Wine tastings are stuffy and pretentious events that I am just not suited for! While it is true that wine tastings have this reputation, it is a matter of the people who attend and not the fault of the wine. That noted, it may be helpful to bring a number of people so that any pretentiousness from other customers around you will not have any impact on your good time. Remember, it is about having a good time, not about trying to be something you are not.

Along with going to a wine tasting for the good time, it is the perfect opportunity to learn about wines without the expense. This way, you can pay a small fee and taste several wines with minimal risk. If you like a particular flavor, then you can pick up a bottle or two to bring home. If not, one you have tasted it once, you never have to do so again. What better way to determine what wines suit your palate than by tasting a few in one setting and bringing the ones you enjoyed home to sip with friends at a later date.

Can I hold my own Wine Tasting?

Of course, you can hold your own wine tasting event. In fact, that may well be a perfect way to introduce to a small group of friends the wines you found pleasant at wine tastings you have been to in the past. All you will need to remember to have on hand, besides the wine, glasses and corkscrew, is something for your guests to munch on that will keep the wines from blending together on their palates. One optimal choice is cheese and crackers. Keep in mind, though, that soft cheeses go best with whites and hard cheeses with reds.

A wine tasting can be a fun event either at a local beer and wine store or in the privacy of your own home. These events are wonderfully inexpensive ways to either determine what types you like the best or ways to share those types with your friends and family. Just remember, when you encounter that stuffy know-it-all in the expensive suit, it is not about him—it’s about the wine and friends!

Wine is a very popular beverage especially in Europe where it is consumed day and night. Americans also like wine but it s usually reserved for evenings and special occasions. Most of the people who like wine, keep some in store at their homes in case they have guests or need to entertain.

The Use of Having Wine Storage Racks

Wine is usually stored on its side, especially if it is still unopened. You will need wine storage racks to store several bottles of wine. Wine storage racks can be any size, depending on your preference and need. If you usually store a lot of wine bottles, you can have a rack for entertaining in your kitchen and bigger wine storage racks in your cellar where you could keep several bottles of wine.

Wine storage racks are very useful in storing bottles of wine because you can organize them according to date and region. Organization is needed when you deal with a large number of wine bottles. There are several aspects with which you can store your bottles of wine like the type of grapes used or the region from which the wine was made in or the date of its production.

The larger wine storage racks are usually made from wood. Metal is also an option for larger racks, it all depends on your needs and preference although, most professional wine cellars do use wooden wine storage racks. The smaller wine rack you might have in your kitchen could also be made from wood or metal.

The wine storage racks usually hold tilted bottles so they are usually thicker at the sides. They would appear like bookshelves but may have small wooden slots where the bottles should go. Other wine storage racks allow you to stack up the wine in diamond shaped receptacles one over the other. Yet another design for wine storage racks is wooden shelves with small holes big enough for the neck of the bottle to go through. The bottles are laid down with their bottoms tilted upwards and their necks in the holes.

Whatever design you might want for your wine storage racks keep in mind the durability of the rack to ensure it does not cave due to the pressure of several bottles of wine. Do not overload the rack or you might risk losing several hundreds of dollars worth of wine. It is also best to keep the rack away from sunlight and hot or warm places to keep the wines’ temperature low.

In spite of all of those wonderful old movies that show great cellars filled with every imaginable vintage of wine, not all styles lend themselves well to wine storage. In fact, if you are planning to begin a wine cellar or any type of wine storage, it is good to check with your wine dealer to make sure just how long that favorite bottle will last before it starts to go bad.

Basic Wine Storage Information:

The reason that so many wine cellars are found in the basement is two fold: first, too much air can spoil a wine as fast as too much heat. The coolest places around are also those where too much air is not a problem—the basement. So, if you can, start storing your favorite bottles where the spiders and mice tend to live and the children are afraid to visit, that dusky and dank basement that you have been meaning to finish.

Additional benefits to using that basement for your wine storage facility include a greater chance that the corks on your wine will not crack due to getting dried out and there usually is not an excess of light down there. Both of these can dramatically shorten wine storage time, so it is important to be aware of not only air and temperature, but also moisture and light.

Have you ever wondered why wine storage racks are horizontal rather than vertical? Did you think that it was a space-thing? Well, the truth is that when you store your bottle horizontally rather than vertically, the corks remain moist from the enclosed wine, which also helps prevent cracking and drying.

Wine Storage and Styles:

If the wine is under ten dollars, then do not try to store it: it will not keep past six months, because it was not bottled to do so. Other, more expensive wines can be stored for a period of time, but there is a difference between whites and reds. Wine storage time frames for white wines are generally shorter than those for reds; in fact, it is recommended that Reislings and Chardonnays be consumed within five years for optimum taste.

The only red wines that are comparable in wine storage time frame to the whites are those that cost between twelve and twenty-five dollars or all of the Syrahs and Shiraz varieties. Otherwise, red wine storage can be in excess of five years and sometimes more than fifteen. So, it is always a good idea to check with your wine dealer when you are going to purchase a good bottle of wine, then mark it on the calendar, because there can be no better way to celebrate a college graduation than with a wine purchased on the first day of school.

References:

http://www.atime4wine.com/storagetips.htm

Remember that time you planned the perfect dinner party, chilled your wine in the refrigerator, but by the time it got to the table it tasted like rancid cardboard? Did you know that the reason for that may well be the temperature fluctuations within the bottle? Because wine is affected by temperature, and chilled wines more than any other, it may be important to you to purchase a wine refrigerator. There are a variety of sizes depending upon your needs and with that variety comes a wide range of prices.

Small Wine Refrigerators:

The small varieties can easily accommodate four to eight bottles of wine and start at about eighty dollars and go up from there depending upon the number of bottles it can store, the type of material it is made from, temperature range and a variety of other possible accoutrements. It is possible to turn one of those little office refrigerators into a small wine refrigerator with a few minor adjustments.

Medium Wine Refrigerators:

As your collection grows, it may become necessary to upgrade your wine refrigerator to something a bit larger. Staring at about $150.00 these wine refrigerators, can hold in excess of twenty-four bottles comfortably and are about the size of those larger dorm-room refrigerators. Potentially, similar adjustments can be made on one of those to create a viable larger wine refrigerator should the need arise.

Large Wine Refrigerators:

Those who are looking for serious wine storage may want to consider a large wine refrigerator. These appliances are about the same size as an average food refrigerator, but are designed to hold wine at a temperature that will help keep the bottles fresh as long as possible. Holding upwards of fifty bottles of wine, these varieties cost in excess of $300.00.

Built-in Wine Refrigerators:

Can you imagine having your wine refrigerator built-in next to your dishwasher? Can you think of anything more convenient? If you are that kind of connoisseur, then you may want to consider talking to your builder about installing a built-in wine refrigerator. These varieties can comfortably house upwards of 37 bottles and cost about the same as a large wine refrigerator.

So, if you are interested in avoiding any future problems with temperature causing your wine to go bad, then consider a wine refrigerator. Even if it means revamping one of those little office styles temporarily, is that better than the embarrassment of sitting down to dinner with friends only to discover that that thirty dollar bottle of Chablis has gone bad due to a temperature issue?

References:

http://www.bizrate.com/winecellars/products__keyword–wine+refrigerator__kw–wine+refrigerator__qcid–1361246.html www.wineracksuperstore.com/winerefrigerators.shtml