The 8 Best Wine Racks of 2024

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Our list includes everything from elegant wall-mounted options to bar carts with built-in bottle storage.

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Storing wine bottles properly is important, which is why a good wine rack is a must-have if you are a collector of fine wine. Whether you plan to drink bottles in the next few weeks or the next few years, it's critical for the health of your wines to store them properly. Along with this comprehensive list of wine racks, we also included some expert tips on how and where to store your wine bottles to preserve their quality.

There are a couple of important factors to keep in mind when shopping for a wine rack, namely its capacity and dimensions. Consider your space and know the number of bottles you typically have at one time. Having ample room for your wine collection is key, as well as making sure the dimensions of the rack suit your space. When thinking about where to place your wine rack, remember to keep in mind that the location needs to be temperature-controlled, especially if you're not storing your wine in a dedicated wine fridge.

We spoke with David Lynch, sommelier and Editorial Director at SommSelect, to get his pro tips on properly storing both old and young wines, plus a few product recommendations for the best wine racks.

This custom-made wine rack comes in three different kinds of wood and seven different stains.

This wine rack arrives in pieces and needs to be fully assembled before use.

This is a very straightforward and utilitarian wine rack — it's solid, functional, and comes with a custom finish if you choose. Its 24-bottle capacity makes for a good mid-sized rack with plenty of space to hold incoming bottles from your favorite wine subscription services while still not taking up too much space with its low profile.

We like the tabletop feature. Keep it themed and adorn it with a set of stemless wine glasses or your go-to corkscrew, or simply use it as a decorative space. This is practical, well-made with solid wood, and sure to keep your bottles in great shape.

Dimensions: 17 x 27 x 12 inches | Capacity: 24 bottles | Material: Choice of pine, knotty alder, or redwood

This has a very simple aesthetic, making it a good choice for styling around the house.

This pine wood wine rack comes unfinished.

Much like our best overall pick from Wine Racks America, this solid pine wine rack is all form and function. This one comes unfinished, which may bother some, but it makes for a fun DIY project or to style up with other décor around the house. A bit larger than others, it holds 44 bottles of wine, so it is better suited to store larger collections.

As such, we recommend storing this wine rack in an enclosed space that can be kept cool and dark — a pantry or closet, basement, or garage. We like the practicality of this wine rack, and it comes recommended by Lynch.

Dimensions: 17 x 10 x 43 inches | Capacity: 44 bottles | Material: Pinewood

This rack holds 65 bottles of wine with individual spaces for each bottle.

This wine rack is very tall, so we recommend anchoring it to the wall for safety.

This solid mahogany wine rack is beautiful and suited for display in any wine lover's temperature-controlled space. This standing wine rack holds 65 bottles of wine and can accommodate different bottle shapes, from Champagne to Bordeaux to Burgundy. At nearly four feet tall, we recommend anchoring this wine rack to a wall to ensure it doesn't tip.

We like the simplicity of the design, and Lynch thinks this is a great choice "if you want to find something really utilitarian and affordable." It keeps bottles safe and sturdy, though we don't recommend keeping 65 bottles for too long unless the room in which this rack is situated is dark and temperature-controlled.

Dimensions: 13.15 x 23.19 x 47.19 inches | Capacity: 65 bottles | Material: Mahogany wood

Each wine bottle is displayed in a way that visibly shows the label.

For its 45-bottle capacity, this wine rack is pricier than similarly sized racks that are not wall-mounted. You are paying for the sturdiness of the wall-mounted style.

As far as large wall-mounted wine racks go, this one is designed for a wine collector who's eager to display their bottles with pride. Because these bottles lay in a horizontal fashion across the wall instead of being slotted into a space, each wine bottle label can be clearly displayed. This large rack holds an impressive 45 bottles and is great for showing off in cellars.

We do not recommend mounting this in open rooms like dining rooms, given the exposure to light and heat. This large wall-mounted wine rack is ideal for cellars, basements, garages, or walk-in pantries.

Dimensions: 75 x 41 x 4.25 inches | Capacity: 45 bottles | Material: Metal and steel

This pick doubles as a small wine rack and bar cart.

As a wine rack, this only holds eight bottles of wine.

You can't beat the form and function of this bar cart-style wine rack for the price. The size is suited for kitchen or dining room use. It accommodates both wine bottles and stemmed wine glasses and even hangs them upside down, which is a practical feature to keep water spots at bay after washing. The bottom shelf offers room for stemless glassware, bar tools, and other beverages. We like that the top of this bar cart provides an additional sturdy platform for setting up party glassware and decanting a bottle of wine or two.

Dimensions: 39.4 x 15.7 x 34 inches | Capacity: 8 bottles | Material: Plywood and metal

This unique wine rack can be configured in any shape and holds 12+ bottles.

Depending on how many sets you put together, you may have to check the pegs and slots on occasion and push them together to tighten them up under the weight of the bottles.

This wine rack is ideal for small spaces because it can come apart completely and be set up in any shape that suits your space. This modular construction wine rack accommodates 12 bottles, but you can purchase multiple sets to double or even triple your capacity.

Because the pegs and slots can be arranged in any configuration, this is a good option for tight corners, small closets, or cupboards. It's strong and sturdy, and with its 12-bottle capacity, it's still quite small if you want to set it up on top of a hutch or cabinet in your dining room.

Dimensions: 13 x 11 x 13.5 inches | Capacity: 12 bottles | Material: Ash wood

This is a stylish and compact wine rack great for countertop use.

Bamboo wood may not be everyone's aesthetic.

An eight-bottle capacity is just the right amount for a countertop wine rack. It won't take up precious counter space, but it's still big enough to hold bottles for a party, weeknight wine pairings, or when your favorite wine club shipment arrives. The two-tiered design allows you to take advantage of vertical space without stacking the bottles one on top of the other. Plus, the bamboo looks lovely on display, even though this rack is very basic in its design. The bamboo material also means that it's sturdy enough to support your bottles while still being lightweight.

Dimensions: 9 x 17 x 8 inches | Capacity 8 bottles | Material: Bamboo

This cooler can store 43 bottles of wine.

Because this is a refrigerator, it must remain plugged in near a wall outlet to stay temperature-controlled.

Wine refrigerators can get very expensive very quickly, which is why we zoned in on this larger version of one of our favorite wine fridges for your home. This is affordably priced for its quality and capacity, holding more than three cases of wine (43 bottles). This fridge ideally stores your wine bottles at perfect cellar temp in their own individual spots. It also has a feature to set dual temperature zones for red and white wines.

It's sleek in design and not too cumbersome if you are looking to store it inside, though it will obviously have to be situated near a wall outlet. The hum of the motor is also noted to be very quiet at around 36 decibels, so noise pollution won't be an issue.

Dimensions: 17.7 x 16.9 x 33.1 inches | Capacity: 43 bottles | Material: Stainless steel finish

We love Wine Racks America's Living Series 24-Bottle Tabletop Wine Rack for its practical utility and design — and the fact that you can order it in a custom finish. If you're looking for a larger rack to house a more sizeable wine collection, the N'FINITY Stackable 4-Foot Wine Rack has the same sturdiness and utility, and it can hold up to 65 bottles.

While the material and style of wine rack you choose are based more on personal aesthetics, we do think it is important to find a rack that doesn't rest bottles on top of bottles (glass on glass), so we have only included wine racks that have individual spaces for each bottle. And avoiding wire racks will eliminate breakage and ensure your bottle labels stay intact. For that reason, this list includes mostly wooden wine racks (the only exception is the wall-mounted wire rack which features soft-tipped grips to avoid scratching).

The size of your collection and space in which your rack will reside are the two most important factors to consider when making a wine rack purchase. If you are a collector of fine wine, opt for a larger rack and be sure to store it in a cellar or basement, preferably. If you are an occasional sipper, a small rack in a temperature-controlled dining room or tucked away in a cool closet will suffice — or even a small display rack for the countertop, table, or bar during dinner parties.

Wine bottles stored for a longer period of time need to be kept in a cool and dark space. Lynch says: "A display rack by definition is going to be exposed to light and, likely, heat — room temp or worse. Ideally, you should opt for a nice simple wooden rack(s), set up in a dark corner of the basement, or garage, or a temperature-controlled closet or room."

For bottles that are going to be opened young, long-term storing conditions aren't as critical since less time spent in the bottle before enjoying means less potential exposure to elements like light and heat. In this case, you can opt for smaller racks or countertop displays, and drink the bottles young without fear of the wines being ruined — just don't place them next to your stovetop or beneath brightly lit windows.

Yes. In fact, it is the safest way to store a bottle of wine. A bottle of wine will slowly oxidize over time, which works to degrade the bottle. When a bottle of wine is standing upright, the cork can dry out faster and allow tiny amounts of air to creep in through the small gaps between the cork and glass. When a bottle of wine is laid on its side, the wine pushes up against the cork and helps keep it from drying out, allowing less room for air to creep in. Storing wine on its side ensures that your wine will not oxidize faster than it should.

Cork rot or cork taint, technically called TCA (2,4,6-trichloroanisole), is formed in cork tree bark when fungi, mold, or bacteria encounter a group of fungicides and insecticides called halophenols. In short, the fungus, mold, or bacteria have a defense mechanism that chemically alters these compounds and creates TCA in the process.

When a winery uses authentic cork from a cork tree, there is always a risk of cork taint, although the percentage is quite low at 2-3% of all bottled wines. The presence of TCA in a cork ruins the wine and can be detected by its unpleasant odor of cardboard, wet newspaper, and moldy basement — odors commonly associated with mustiness and dampness.

Bottles that will be consumed young and shortly after purchasing will do just fine on a wine rack at room temperature or just below. Bottles meant for longer aging and that you plan to store for more than a year should be kept at cellar temperature (roughly 55 degrees Fahrenheit). For longer aging, we recommend investing in a refrigerator wine rack to keep your age-worthy bottles in perfect condition for many years.

Let us be the first to tell you that the most obvious place to store a wine rack, in your kitchen, is the last place you actually want to keep your wine. Kitchens are inherently the warmest part of the house because of oven and stovetop use. Because wines store best at cellar temperature, kitchens are typically far too warm for long-term wine storage.

The best place to put a wine rack is going to be in a temperature-controlled environment, whether that be a dining room, garage, basement, or cellar. A pantry or closet can be a good location as well if you want your wine rack tucked away and don't have access to a garage or cellar-like space. Wherever you place your wine rack, make sure the room temperature is kept cool and well-regulated, with little to no exposure to bright lights or sunlight.