Stemware Racks

Besides breakage, the next problem is that unlike a regular drinking glass, wineglasses take up more space—often a premium in a kitchen where it has to compete with precious little Sarah's SpongeBob SquarePants plastic cups and bowls for cabinet real estate. One solution is to install a wine glass rack that can hang under a cabinet or from the ceiling and stow your stemware upside down and away for safety, convenience, and to keep the dust off.

Practical or Just a Decorative Fixture?

Stemware racks can be either one and both. The simplest stemware racks are made of wood, are installed underneath an existing kitchen cabinet, can hold up to a couple dozen wine glasses hanging, and cost $25-$35. In the right setting this makes an elegant and tasteful statement about the proprietor of the establishment and showcases those Riedel Sommelier wine glasses. Other stemware racks suspended from the ceiling overhead that stash wine glasses out of the way from all but the NBA's tallest stringbeans. Other options also include standing wood cabinets in various finishes that hold both wine bottles downstairs with a small rack upstairs that can hold about 12-15 glasses. Now, if you want to get fancy, there are also several wood and wrought-iron freestanding wine glass racks that will decoratively display and hold your stemware. These generally stand on a kitchen countertop or bar for easy accessibility.

Space Safety Benefits of Stemware Racks

As stated, one reason to stow your wine glasses in a rack is to save space and help prevent breakage. And while a cabinet makes perfect sense, often stemware tends to be space hogs, especially those bulbous Burgundy ones. People will try to cram as many glasses into a cabinet as they can. This can lead to problems with glasses putting pressure on each other, rubbing against each other, and with people knocking one or two down when they try to get to those Champagne flutes in the back. A stemware rack efficiently uses space, makes glass selection easier and consequently creates safer setting for you and your Riedel crystal.

Cabinet Smells

Also, you might have noticed a slight detergent smell or whitish film on your stemware that has been stored in a cabinet. This is generally caused by improper cleaning and rinsing of the glass and from lengthy storage in an enclosed cabinet, particularly if it's hermetically sealed. The glasses can actually pick up disagreeable scents that emanate from the wood and its resins. Often these nose-crinkling smells are attributed to the wine rather than the glass. One is best advised to re-wash the glass and perhaps season it with a splash of wine before using. True, this is more a nuisance than a catastrophe but it can be avoided if glasses are not stored in a cabinet.

Drying

Not always mentioned but racks are also a way to air-dry glasses that helps reduce those unfashionable water spots that always show up just when guests are over dinner.

Racks for Style and Utility

Stemware racks provide a convenient way to store your wine glasses, show them off and reduce breakage. Racks can be made of various woods and stained to match the surrounding cabinets. They can be utilitarian with an industrial stainless steel look or more decorative wrought-iron racks integrated with other design elements. Just some rack ideas to consider…

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