Wine Glass Racks

Space Issues?

Not having enough space for all your wine “vessels” is definately a problem. Having different glasses for lots of different types of wines is great, but those big bulbous Burgundy stems and those extra-tall Syrah stems quickly eat up your space, assuming you had any to fit them to begin with.

What to Look for

Wine glass racks come in various shapes and sizes. The main benefit to having those racks is that it frees up space in your cabinets and countertops because the glasses hang from the rack, which is hanging from the ceiling. These racks are usually made of iron with slots to hang your glasses upside down. Here are a few things to look for when purchasing and installing your own wine glass rack.

Wine Glass Racks: Things to Consider

One of the first things to consider when purchasing a wine glass rack is making sure the rack fits your needs. A few other things to consider are:

• Slot size - Make sure the slots on the rack fits the glasses you own.
• Rack size - Make sure the rack itself fits in the place you want to put it.
• Rack placement - You will want your glass rack to be in a good utilitarian space for easy access.

Potential Problems

A problem that often arises when choosing with wine glass racks is the spaces between hanging your glasses are too narrow and the glasses you own don’t fit. The whole point is to have your glasses all up and accessible. If you can’t fit all or most of your glasses, what is the point? Here are some steps to take to avoid this problem:

• Make sure the rack fits in the space - Do this by measuring your space ahead of time. Be sure to measure both the length and width of the wine rack you want fit.
• Make sure the rack is in a good space — A good space for the rack is one that doesn’t get in the way of other things or blocks your view of anything because it’s too low or under a cabinet.

The other thing to watch for is making sure you don’t have it above an area where people sit (bar for example). When a glass rack is placed in these areas, problems arise when guests raise their arm or stretch and hit the glasses. To avoid these problems, do some planning and think ahead to where you want to put your wine glass rack.

Correct Installation

When you’ve chosen a rack, measured for it and made sure it suits your needs, make sure to install it correctly. Many times you can purchase wine glass racks that come with no instructions and just a set of screws. If you’re handy around the house and good with carpentry stuff this will not be an issue, but if you’re not like that (like many of us) you have to do a little more prep work.

• First - When you install the rack on the ceiling, make sure you screw it into a stud. Simply going into the drywall of the ceiling will not hold the weight of iron racks. Use a stud finder, which can be found at any hardware store.
• Second - Be sure of is that your rack is centered. Like a painting, your rack will be in full view of your guests, as well as you. Make sure it is centered and level. This will be pleasing to the eye and also ensure that your glasses are not crooked and will not fall off.

Filling Your Rack

So you’ve got your rack installed, it looks great and now you are ready to fill it up. The best way to go about doing this is to group your wine glasses together and make sure the bowls are touching. Because your stems hang upside down, making sure the bowls touch alleviates the noise that can happen from simple vibrations and also helps protect your glasses from breaking. The more space you allow between your stems, the more swinging motion and potential breakage opportunities.

Good Stemware Hygiene

Freeing up cupboard space and having your glasses accessible doesn’t mean you are completely free…unfortunately having your stemware out in the open means they collect dust more frequently than they would in a protected cupboard. So that means unless you use your glasses frequently and then wash them, you’ll have to give your glasses a wipe down and quick polish with a lint-free cloth before each use.Using a lint-free cloth will make your life a whole lot easier. Simply dampen it a bit and in no time you will have sparkling clean glasses to show your wine off in. You may also want to give your stems a quick wipe down after you take them off the rack because when grabbing them to take them down, you could inadvertently leave fingerprints on the bowl of your glass.

Enjoy!

Your rack is all about freeing up space and getting quick access to all your great stemware. Make sure you do your planning and proper maintenance to prolong your enjoyment and usage of your stems! Cheers!