Wine Racks Blog

Some people say that we are living in the electronic age. Well, that’s probably true, but I think we’re also living in the infrared technology age! At my day job, we have an infrared retinal scanner, and I think it’s just the neatest thing ever. Although, I don’t think I’m supposed to talk about it. Okay, forget you heard anything. Anyway, that infrared technology has come to the wine cellar with this Infrared Wine Thermometer.

Sometimes when you’re checking the temperature of your wine, all you have to go by is how the bottle feels in your hands. What if you naturally have cold hands? You’re not going to be able to accurately gauge the temperature. Likewise, if you’re one of those people with warm hands, you’re not going to know exactly how cool the bottle is.

That’s why this keychain style wine thermometer is a must. Using infrared technology, this thermometer detects wine temperature from outside the bottle. Simply put the end of the thermometer on the bottle to read internal temperature. Made of premium quality stainless steel, this wine thermometer features a laser-inked wine menu and upscale thin cylinder with a keychain hanger.

I love the fact that this thermometer is so portable. You can take it wine tasting, or take it over to your friends house for a dinner party. You can even make a little game of it, by having people guess what they think the temperature of the wine is, and then you can verify who is the closest to being right. It would be a fun party game, and a great way to get to know each other.

Have you found any great wine gadgets lately? Wine racks are great, but they’re not always portable, and it’s nice to be able to show off a cool gadget when you’re traveling. So let me know what you’ve seen lately!

Summertime can definitely be a little too warm for a hearty bordeaux or merlot, but just because the weather is warm doesn’t mean you have to give up on drinking wine.

A great summertime wine is Pinot Grigio. Pinot Grigio, when produced with a little love, can be an utterly charming wine! Unpretentious, with flavors of citrus and stone fruit, light floral notes, and a bracing minerality that just cries out to be enjoyed from your patio.

Pinot Grigio is the Italian name for the French grape Pinot Gris. It’s like a trip around Europe whenever you say it. It’s starting to gain a lot of popularity, and new vineyards devoted to Pinot Gris are popping up from New Zealand to Oregon.

You can find a lot of quality Pinot Grigio for under 15 dollars, which makes it great for BBQs or lazy summer afternoons. Pinot Grigio is best served chilled. If you just bought a bottle, and don’t have time to chill it in the refrigerator, there’s a solution! Take a look at the Vinotemp Electric Beverage Cooler! This easy to use wine cooler plugs into standard outlets and keeps wine, beer or soda at the perfect drinking temperature, between 28.4-46.4 degrees. Wheels make relocating a piece of cake! Two side shelves are great for setting drinks or cutting garnishes, and a hanging basket offers extra storage, perfect for bottle openers and accessories.

So, you’re all set! You’ve got the wine, you’ve got good friends, and good food. What more do you need for a perfect summer day! How’s your summer going? Let me know!

Little known fact about me: I have the upper body strength of a newborn kitten. My puny arms - when added to my naturally small reserves of patience - have led to countless botched wine bottle uncorkings. Cork broken? Check. Cork seemingly irreversibly stuck half-way? Check. Cork stuck, then broken, with half of it going down into the bottle? Check, check and check.

Luckily, all that changed when I got a Cork Butler. And, if you don’t have access to a discreet British valet, this Cork Butler is the next best thing. The Cork Butler grips onto the bottle, you push the lever down, you pull the lever up and presto! In three seconds, you have an open bottle of wine. And there’s a foil cutter, which is much more effective than trying to pick off the foil with your fingernails.

So, my fellow noodle armed and patience deprived folk: say goodbye to your old corkscrew. The Cork Butler is the perfect companion to any wine rack. Brisk and efficient, I won’t be surprised if the next model has a voice chip so that it will say “Very good, madam” after it opens a bottle.

Over the holidays, I think I ate about a metric ton of sweets. In fact, I even discovered a new love for hard candies. Especially ribbon candy. Besides being full of sugary goodness, ribbon candy is an aesthetic delight.

Look at it! It's downright adorable!

There’s something so appealing about the bunched curves of ribbon candy. And while I don’t have the seasonal excuse for mainlining sugar anymore, I don’t have to give up loving the look of this old fashioned treat. I found the S-Shaped Wine Rack!

I love it! This rack is made of steel, and has an antiqued copper finish. There are even embossed details of grape bunches, vines, and leaves. This rack will hold up to five bottles of wine, and is perfect for a counter top, or even a table. It’s a little whimsical, but I think it’d be a great gift for any serious wine enthusiast. Or candy enthusiast. It’s versatile like that!

This is definitely one of those ’someday’ racks for me. This beauty holds 110 standard sized bottles of wine. The great thing about this wine rack is that it’s made from unfinished hardwood. Not only do you get the great texture and knots that makes wooden pieces so interesting, you can finish it to any color you’d like! So whether you want something black and glossy, or you’d rather have a nice lightly stainedfinish - this rack is ready to accommodate.

I know this rack looks a little epic in scale, but the footprint is actually pretty compact. It measures roughly 41″H x 42″W x 12″D. So, if you have an alcove area in your home, this rack might be a perfect fit!

The Loire Valley is also known as the “garden of France”. I was lucky enough to take a day trip to Chartres from Paris one summer. I spent a wonderful afternoon touring the cathedral, and drinking Sancerre at a bistro. Which is why I have such a soft spot for the Loire Wine and Stemware Rack. This petite floor standing wine rack holds up eight bottles of wine and eight glasses. I like this size of this rack, you can either put it on the counter in a large-ish kitchen, or in the corner of your living room or dining room. I like the mix of natural wood, and chrome. This rack will be a real beauty when it’s fully stocked! Plus, I love the convenience of having my stemware and wines together. It makes entertaining just that much easier.  

And as a start - you should stock it with a few bottles of Sancerre! Sancerre is a lively wine, made from Sauvignon Blanc grapes. It’s fresh and crisp, which makes it perfect for warm, lazy summer afternoons. But, you don’t have to wait until the weather gets warm! I love it anytime of year - and recently I’ve started drinking it with sushi instead of sake.

While driving to a party with a bottle of wine, do you find yourself wincing as you hear the bottle rolling back and forth in the trunk or the backseat? Have you ever tried just keeping the wine in a bag on the passenger seat, but then a short stop pitches everything to the floor? Have you shown up at a party with a bottle of wine that’s practically foamy from being shook, rattled, and rolled? If not, congratulations! You are obviously one of the graceful people of the world! I bet you can also wear white shirts, and they stay white until the end of the day.

For the rest of us, I’ve found something that can help! These neoprene wine totes! These totes are padded and insulated. The insulation is a terrific feature – it means that you can bring a bottle of white wine to a party, and won’t have to chill it in your host’s refrigerator. They also have little handles, so you can loop them on your trunk hooks, or just thread a seat belt through the handle. I found both one bottle and two bottle totes at Stacks And Stacks.

Plus, you could be really nice, and give a bottle and a tote as a complete hostess gift. Much better than flowers!

You guys, I have a confession to make. I have sort of a schizophrenic design aesthetic. My ideal house would be 40% Eames mid-century modern-chic, 50% of the Elephant Room where Nicole Kidman lived in Moulin Rouge, and 10% Hello Kitty. Balancing these styles - well, it is my burden. Yet, bravely, I persevere! And the good thing about having eclectic taste (yes, that’s what I’ve decided to call it) is that when I find something that speaks to one of my design personalities - it doesn’t speak with a whisper, it shouts! And man oh man, this Wine Knot is screaming my name. I love the smooth curves, and the two-tone bent plywood. It’s hard to find a wine rack that looks good both empty and full, but this one totally fits the bill.It holds six wine bottles, and it can hold a magnum of champers in the center. Obviously, it’s speaking to the mid-century modernist in me (although I could embellish it with a little glitter and gold paint, and really reach a happy medium). What’s the verdict? Do you love it, or really love it?

When I turned 21, one of my gifts was a large, 36 bottle wine rack.  Not only was I brand new to the world of wine, but I was living in a tiny apartment – with roommates! Not to mention, on my starving student budget, it would have been hard to fill it with 36 bottles of Boone’s Farm – much less something drinkable (oh Strawberry Hill, how I’ve turned on you). The huge wine rack was totally impractical for my life – and, to tell the truth, I felt kind of intimidated by it!

Which is why I say, with the wisdom of experience – if you’re just starting to drink and collect wine – go modular! Most modular racks start small – holding only six bottles. Check out this Modular Storage System! If you start noticing that you’ve constantly got more than six bottles on hand, all you have to do is buy another component, and snap (or stack) them together!  Presto – double the storage.

Modular storage racks also make great housewarming presents – especially when they’re already stocked! (Hint, hint!)