The warm, honey-colored wood of a French wine rack can add that Old World, country-style richness to your home. There’s no need to settle for accordion-type wine racks to hold those fine bottles of French Chablis or cabernet-sauvignons, making your wine collection look plain and out of place in your home. Today’s models of French wine racks vary from scrolled-metal designs to large wooden cabinets, and you should strive to have your wine storage be an accessory to your home, not just a functional, cheap rack.

When you’re shopping for a French wine rack, you do want to make sure that you find one that brings an antique look to your living space as well as providing proper storage of your wines. Even if you drink wine on a regular basis and have a good turn-over, you still don’t want those fine wines to start to sour into expensive vinegars. Proper French wine racks hold the bottles in a way that they are tilted to allow the wine inside to keep the cork moist, which usually means leveraging the bottom of the bottle upwards with the top leaning down a touch.

Storing Conditions For Your Wines

Once you’ve chosen a French wine rack you think will add flair and style to your home, you do want to place it in an area that is out of direct sunlight. While you want to be able to easily admire your French wine rack and have it in a spot to where guests will be able to notice it, putting your wines where sunlight hits the bottles will only damage the liquids inside by causing tannins to oxidize. Wine specialists also recommend a cool area that is within the 55 to 57 degrees Fahrenheit range to be optimal for wine storage, but if you aren’t aiming for long-term aging of your wines and only want a place to store them for very short periods of time, then temperature isn’t that much of a concern.

Finding a French wine rack that suits your living space is important. A carved-door cabinet made out of solid wood might look great in the store display area, but keep in mind the amount of available space you’ve got in your own home and the flow of traffic. A bulky French wine rack that people are always banging into will become an annoyance instead of an attraction, and if you have a small home, finding a wall rack instead of a cabinet might be the best option. French wine racks come in all shapes, sizes and designs, so there’s definitely one that’s right for you, and most likely, you’ll enjoy the hunt and search for that perfect compliment to your home.