Create eye-catching wine displays while protecting your investment
Wine sales are soaring around the globe as more people discover the joys of drinking and collecting wine.
Restaurant patrons today expect a lively and broad selection of wines, especially at fine dining establishments. But even casual restaurants have had to up the ante to meet the demands of discerning patrons.
To create memorable experiences for guests, restaurateurs today are challenged with offering a full-sensory experience—a feast for both the eyes and the palette.
Eye-catching wine displays for restaurants are part of the equation. A wine wall in the dining room or floating bottle display at the bar creates a striking focal point, while a walk-in restaurant wine cellar with tasting tables offers patrons an exclusive VIP experience.
Thankfully, wine storage innovations have kept pace with the growing interest in wine. There are so many restaurant wine storage options today—from stunning wine walls to handsome restaurant wine cabinets.
10 Ways to Display and Store Wine
Which wine storage solution is best for your establishment will depend on several factors, including:
- The size and configuration of your restaurant
- How much wine storage you need
- Your budget
- The temperature and humidity conditions in the space
Below we’ve highlighted some of the many restaurant wine storage options for displaying and storing wine. You may want to mix and match these options, depending on your needs. Later, we briefly touch on the optimal conditions for storing wine.
1: Wine Walls
A wine wall with label-forward metal racks is ideal for creating a striking display in your restaurant or bar. The uncluttered aesthetic showcases individual bottles in your collection and is a natural conversation starter. Modular wine racks are flexible and versatile, allowing you to create as small or large a display as you need. Fill an entire wall or make good use of an alcove or odd-shaped space.
2: Floating Bottle Displays
Floating wine racks are a favorite in contemporary restaurants and bars. These innovative racks are ideal if you have limited wall space, since they can be installed anywhere. Use them to delineate a bar from a dining area or to create dining nooks within a larger space. With modular floating racks, you can create a wine display virtually anywhere. The bottles are properly stored in a horizontal position with the labels out for your guests.
3: Floor-to-Ceiling Displays
Simple yet sophisticated, floor-to-ceiling racking systems use steel-backed frames and rods to create sleek wine displays. Floor-to-ceiling wine racks are ideal for dining room wine cellars or for displaying your best bottles in an adjoining bar or retail space. Choose from single or double-sided displays, which can be configured to fit virtually any space.
4: Wall-Mount Displays
Create a one-of-a-kind display anywhere in your restaurant or bar with a wall-mounted wine rack system. The Flex Series by VintageView mounts to the wall and can be positioned in a variety of creative ways up to a 45° angle. Use flex racks to create a wall-mounted “wine waterfall” or even spell out your establishment’s initials (e.g., “RM”). These one-of-a-kind, upscale racks are a favorite among restaurateurs.
5: Showcase Displays
Showcase displays by CellarVue are the perfect blend of tradition and modernity. These modular systems can be configured in a variety of ways with a combination of label-forward racks, bins, and cork-forward columns to maximize storage. Displaying wine in a variety of ways adds visual interest and lets the eye wander. Showcase displays are ideal for main dining areas and restaurant wine cellars.
6: Wine Shelves
Perfect for a wine lounge or recreation area (such as an upscale billiards room), modular wine shelves can be built into the wall or configured to fit into an alcove or under the stairs. Wine shelves are the perfect blend of beauty and function. Use them to store individual bottles and cases of wine in your restaurant wine cellar or in a main dining space.
7: Waterfall Shelves
Create a cascading waterfall display in your wine room with waterfall wine racks. These high-capacity racks are helpful in wine cellars with limited space, as they can be configured against a wall or turned out to face into the room. Waterfall racks are ideal for creating distinct spaces and nooks within a larger wine cellar. They can also be used to delineate between a dining room and a bar or other space.
8: Lockers and Bins
Metal wine lockers for restaurants are helpful when you need added security. Use stylish metal wine bins and lockers in high-traffic areas or for back-of-house applications. Modular bins and lockers can fill an entire commercial display or serve as design accent pieces that safely store valuable wines.
9: Retail Racks
Perfect for wine shops and gift shops within or adjacent to a restaurant, retail wine racks are specifically engineered and designed for retail applications. Versatile and functional, these freestanding racks can be placed anywhere and moved as needed. They don’t require a wall for mounting and can be used to create aisle-ways, improving the flow of traffic in your retail shop.
10: Bins and Cubes
Wine bins and cubes are an efficient way to store bottles. And when combined with wine shelves and label-forward racks, they create a more interesting display. One of the main advantages of bins and cubes is that you can store different size bottles in a single bin, from magnums to champagne bottles to turleys.
The Ideal Temperature for Wine Storage
Proper temperature and humidity conditions are vital for long-term wine storage and to prevent wine spoilage. Even if you rapidly turn over the wine in your collection, exposure to temperature fluctuations can alter the taste of your wine or cause it to spoil, even in the short term. Also, be aware of “lightstrike” from exposure to direct sunlight.
Wine should be stored at a constant temperature of 55°F to 60°F with 50% to 70% relative humidity. Humidity helps keep the corks moist, preventing air infiltration into the bottle, which can spoil your wine.
To ensure you are consistently providing your patrons with the quality they deserve, consider building a climate-controlled wine room or wine cellar for longer-term storage. Invest in a quality wine cooling system and wine cellar door to ensure temperature and humidity levels remain consistent.
Expert Restaurant Wine Cellar Design Services
Whether you need a single wall rack for a few hundred bottles or a luxurious glass-enclosed wine cellar, Wine Racks America is here to help. We’re one of the nation’s most trusted wine storage experts.
We offer an extensive collection of wine storage solutions from trusted names in the industry, including InstaCellar, VintageView, and Millesime.
There’s a solution for every space and every budget, and our expert team will help you find it. Wine Racks America is ready to provide custom wine rack ideas to help you take your restaurant to new heights.
