Sep 5, 2023
Where wine storage fits in a project is often limited by imagination. Wine racking products are designed to install onto a variety of surfaces and in a variety of configurations.
- This article is part of the Complete Guide to Building the Modern Wine Cellar. Learn about this topic and earn either AIA or IDCEC credit.
Where wine storage fits in a project is often limited by imagination. Wine racking products are designed to install onto a variety of surfaces and in a variety of configurations.
Wall Mounted Wine Racks
Not only is it possible to hang bottles of wine on a wall, but it’s also the preferred wine racking method in most wine room designs.
Anchoring to drywall is possible with most wine racking systems.
Mounting wine racks to walls is popular for several reasons:
- Space saving: The most space-efficient wine racks can hold up to nine bottles of wine in a 1′ tall section (about nine bottles per square foot).
- Aesthetic appeal: Positioning wine racks off the floor provides clean design lines and fewer spots for dust to collect.
- Ease of installation: Most wall wine racks come preassembled, so installation is a matter of using a level, measure, and the proper hardware.
Can you mount wine racks to drywall?
Yes. Here’s why:
Anchors: Stroll down the hardware aisle, and you will find bins of drywall fasteners. Each has a weight rating, often holding 50 pounds or more per fastener. A bottle of wine tips the scales at about 3 pounds.
Engineering: Many wine racking systems utilize shear strength, where the downward pressure of the bottles being stored pushes the mounting strip against the wall to create undeniable strength. Using a combination of butterfly and spiral anchors produces wine racks capable of holding three times the weight that would ever be placed on the holders.
Clients may still be skeptical, and installing against plywood-backed walls is often more efficient for the installation, which makes using a wood backer wall preferred in most installations. But in small upgrades to wet bars or rooms where the walls are already finished, you can comfortably build a wine display on the drywall in front of you.
VintageView Wall Mounted Wine Racks:
- W Series Wine Racks: The original label-foward wine rack
- Helix Wine Rack: Design-focused, minimalist bottle storage
- Vino Series: Distinctive pegs and pins
- Evolution Wine Wall: Industrial chic design the scales to the largest of cellar projects
Floating Wine Rack Systems
The evolution of storage has taken the racks off the wall by pairing wall-mounted products with steel or wood framing systems that mount from floor to ceiling.
This “floating” design has proven to be one of the most used configurations to add versatility to the modern wine cellar.
Common uses of a floor-to-ceiling floating system include these:
- In front of stone/tile: These valuable wall upgrades can prove difficult to drill into. Wine rack frames and posts allow for the bottles to be stored in front of a wall at an offset.
- Against glass: With glass walls becoming popular, wine rack frames and posts allow for storage right up against the glass itself. This creates an innovative look and increases bottle capacity.
- As room dividers: By creating a floating wall of wine, these systems allow for custom wall dividers that allow some privacy without completely closing off the space. They are extremely popular in creating semiprivate dining experiences in restaurants.
While floor-to-ceiling installation remains the most popular use of this category, there are a variety of enhancements, including many stock items, that allow for further customization.
- Floor-to-wall brackets: One end of the display mounts to the floor while the other takes a hard 90° turn at the top to anchor back to the wall. This offset can be up to 1′ off the wall, allowing for easier installation if glass, stone, or tile wall surfaces are involved.
- Angled brackets: Tilting at angles up to 37° allows for the installation of floating wine racks under staircases or in other rooms with sloped surfaces.
- Hidden brackets: When minimalism is required, there are mounting brackets that offer a visible footprint 50% smaller than standard, making it look as if the frame/post is installed through the ceiling/floor surface.
VintageView Floating Wine Racks:
- W Series Wine Rack Frame
- Vino Series Post
- Helix Wine Rack Post
- Evolution Wine Wall Post
- Evolution Low Profile Post
Freestanding Wine Racks
Freestanding wine displays are another versatile style of wine racking, allowing for scalable storage without major construction.
Retailers use island displays to create shoppable aisles of wine. Collectors anchor a large space with a central display to complement the wall surfaces.
In high-rise living where space is at a premium, smaller freestanding wine racks can serve as an artistic display.
The advantage of freestanding displays is that no consideration of wall type and support ratings is required. Follow the manufacturer guidelines for securing top-heavy, taller options to a support.
Because of the overall need for material—wood, metal, or both—freestanding displays tend to cost more per bottle than wall-mounted options. Pricing begins at around $10 per bottle.
VintageView Freestanding Wine Racks:
- Island Display Racks (W and Evolution collections)
- Case & Crate (lockers and bins), and
- Evolution Wine Tower (acrylic “book” cases)
This article is part of the Complete Guide to Building the Modern Wine Cellar.
