Wall Mounted Wine Rack

If you've ever had a very small kitchen, or even a very small apartment, you will probably know that one of the best secrets to maximizing space is to "go up". That can mean high shelves, or it can just mean using the walls to hold things. This technique is especially helpful in smaller kitchens where counter space is a precious commodity.



Before we get into specific models of wine racks, there are two very important things to consider. The first is a safety issue: when you hang your wall mounted wine rack, use anchors. Anchors are the plastic pieces that fit inside the hole you made in the wall. They act as a sleeve around the screw or nail, but as you tighten the screw, the anchor crunches in on itself into a shape similar to a flower blossom. The plastic "blossom" secures the area of the wall about 2 inches around where the actual screw is, making your wine rack MUCH more secure. Without anchors, the first time somebody stumbles into your wine rack at a party, or someone accidently bangs the wine rack, it may come loose. And then there goes that lovely $120 bottle of Merlot you were saving for a really special occassion.

The other thing to consider before you look at specific wall mounted wine racks is that wine racks can hold more than just wine. Maybe you like to keep some mineral water on hand, or a large bottle of balsamic vinegar. If you're tight on space, you can use your wine rack to hold those, too. You can also use one of the bottle holders for outgoing mail, or for bills that need to be paid. So don't shy away from an 8 bottle wine rack just because you rarely have more than four bottles of wine in the house. You might have good uses for those four empty holders.

There are a number of wall mounted racks that store the wine bottles vertically, with the cork pointing down. This is better than if the cork was pointing up, because it keeps the cork wet inside and thus it won't crack, but really I prefer the wine racks that hold the bottles horizontally. This is how a serious oenophile or sommelier would store their wine.

Under $20
Amazon's Spectrum 48810 Wall Mount Wine Rack, 6-Bottle, Black comes in at a hair below $20. Its got straight 5 star reviews. The style is modern/industrial -- its a wire wine rack.



$20-$45
If you're decor is modern or you have a stainless steel kitchen the Black+Blum flow 22-1/4 by 3-1/2 by 2-3/8-Inch Wall Mounted Wine Rack is a very nice choice. Despite how minimalistic it looks, the bottles are safe and secure.



$46-$100
If wood is your thing, the nicest wall rack I found was the SEI Calabria Wall Mount Wine Rack. The drawback for this rack is that the bottles stick out from the wall, so its not for an area where people are going to be walking by, or where you'll have to squeeze around it. For many, that may be a deal killer.



Over $100
If you want to really look serious with your wine, and you've got a lot of it, consider a genuine French Riddling Rack. WineEnthusiast.com has a 30 bottle one for $275, or you can get two. The pictures show the racks sitting on the floor, but if you go to the product page you'll see them mounted on a wall. The site also sells mounting braces/kits specifically made for the riddling racks. These are handsome pieces that will take up about the same amount of wall space as a door.