7 Things to Look for When Buying Wine Racks

Once you decide to build your own Wine Cellar selecting the racking might seem like the easiest decision in your project, don’t be fooled! Selecting the right racking for your Wine Cellar is a crucial decision for the future and integrity of your Wine Collection. Using the knowledge we have gained in 28 years of building wine cellars, we have put together a guide on how to select the right wine racks for your wine cellar. Here are 7 things to look for when buying modular wine storage.

Stay away from racks that use plastic cleats or plastic hardware.

Plastic cleats will not only make the Wine Cellar you’ve worked so hard to build look cheap, they will also be unstable. A good quality wine rack will use wood cleats for secure installation and durability. The last thing you want to do is invest your time and money in a Wine Cellar that is full of flimsy racking.

Stay away from softwood racking.

It may be tempting to save money on your cellar by going for lower-cost softwood racking, but you will realize why the price is so much lower immediately. Softwood racking, like racking made from Pine or Redwood, will show wear and tear as soon as you start to use them. Another important note is that softwood racking virtually breaks down under wine cellar conditions and will eventually need to be replaced. A high-quality wine rack is made from hardwood, such as Mahogany.

Watch out for racking with sharp edges.

Sharp edges ten to nick and tear at labels. If you only remove bottles to drink them, this won’t be a big issue. However if you like to show off your collection and look at bottles often, sharp edges will ruin your labels, which is especially disastrous for investment wines. A premium wine rack has rounded blocks, which are the horizontal pieces of wood that cradle the wine bottle. Genuwine Cellars’ Elite Kit Rack are made with meticulously rounded blocks to ensure no label damage is done.

Watch out for short life racking.

If you want to expand your cellar in the future, you’ll want to order racks from the same manufacturer again. If your racks are no longer being made, you’ll need to redo your entire wine cellar. Premium Wine Racking has longevity and isn’t made by someone that got into the business last year. Genuwine Cellars has been manufacturing wine racking and building wine cellars for the last 25 years. Should you decide you want to expand your Wine Cellar, we’ll still be here to get you new racking.

Be cautious of materials and finishes.

Manufacturers and designers with no wine cellar knowledge use great looking materials that can release chemicals into the air through evaporation (off-gassing) which emits a noxious gas that makes the cellar uninhabitable and the wine stored in it undrinkable. Modular system is constructed with premium materials that are tested and known to withstand wine cellar conditions. Genuwine Cellars’ Elite Kit Racking has undergone thorough testing and has been proven safe for cellar conditions.

Watch out for unsustainably sourced wood.

This might seem like an obvious thing to look for, or something you would assume is a given, but many wine racks are made with unsustainably sourced wood. Premium wine racking is made from sustainably and responsibly sourced wood. Genuwine Cellars Elite Kit rack is composed of sustainably sourced wood from a variety of producers.