If you have a collection of wine that you have built up over the years and are maturing with care, you have probably already designated a storage place that suits the bottles. Even if you don’t have a cellar in your home, storing your wine so that it is at its best when you open it is something you should think about. For many bottles it is advisable to raise them to room temperature prior to opening, to let them breathe. And for others you will want to have them refrigerated prior to serving.

Nowadays, storing your wine where it can be easily accessed is the trend and, for many, this means storing wine in the dining room. If you plan to keep your wine bottles close at hand why not make them a feature of the room? Whether you prefer rich riojas, pale pinot grigios or shimmering champagnes, make a song and dance about your wine. Store it in a way that will impress your guests, but still keep your wine in good condition.

Integrated Shelving.

When redecorating your dining room, opt for some wine racks that integrate with the rest of your dining room furniture. If you have storage cupboards on the walls, there is likely to be a wine rack or two that complements the range. If there isn’t, simply move on to a range that does. Unless you have a very fine wine, storing it at room temperature won’t make a huge difference. Simple designs are best, but remember the visual look will soon be broken up once you start storing different types of bottles. A good tip is to fit a stem glass rack underneath your integrated wine rack so you have everything stored in one place.

Mix It Up.

Wine is often taken very seriously, but it should be fun too. Mix things up a little in your dining room. Give you wine storage area a vibrant lick of paint. Store your reds in a rack and your whites in a glass fronted refrigerator. If you can see the wine inside, rather than it being shut away, you can create a sense of anticipation at a dinner party. You don’t need a huge collection to create a sense of fun with wine. A simple, well-stocked rack will do the job, particularly if the bottles create a color contrast against your wall.

Wine As Art?

If you like to show off your wine as much as consume it, why not push things on a little and really make the wine a central feature of your dining room? Like a work of art, wine can be displayed and lit for maximum effect. A bespoke transparent wine rack really creates a statement in modern dining room. Alternatively, allow your wine storage to take over an entire wall of the room. Or how about converting a table top to make your own rack, which can be finished in any style that you care for?

Display Cellars.

Nowadays, even if you have a cellar in your home, displaying your wine collection in the dining room is becoming ever more popular. With modern wine storage enclosures it is possible to get cellar like conditions in your dining room without the ill effects of central heating. Glass fronted ones create a sense of theater and will impress your guests. These display units, which double as storage cellars, are also usually available with ample space for your glasses and so on. For some, a false stone wall that divides the space between the storage unit and the dining room adds to the feeling of a genuine cellar.

Wine Racks.

Wine racks come in all shapes and sizes. Don’t buy a rack that is so large that you will never fill it. Wine racks that are too large for your collection always look like they need filling. Select something that complements your dining room’s décor and if your collection grows, simply add another.

Picture sources: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10.