Storage boxes for rieslings and other tall 750 mL wine bottles?

I recently purchased U-line double corrugated 12-pack wine carriers (ULINE - Shipping Boxes, Shipping Supplies, Packaging Materials, Packing Supplies) as I just recently got an off-site storage locker and will be starting to move stuff in it for long-term cellaring. Included in that are several 2015 German rieslings, but the necks of the bottles stick out from the top slightly so that I won’t be able to tape the flaps down completely flat. What do you guys use for storing your rieslings, gruners, and other tall 750 mL bottles?

Cardboard German and Alsatian wine boxes, which I hoard for this purpose. Unfortunately, the Germans usually ship in thin, cheap boxes that don’t hold up well.

Brian, you’ll need to find boxes that were intended for those extra tall bottles. And it gets worse, because there are a couple of “extra” sizes, depending on producer. The “standard” German/Austria bottles are one height, then there are some even taller bottles that some producers use, and some producers will even use the shorter height for regular bottles, and the taller height for GG or other special bottles (e.g., Donnhoff)

My only suggestion is that you frequent your local retailers and try to get them to hold on to Riesling boxes they are through with for you. Other options are Zind Humbrecht and Vieux Telegraphe boxes, which are “lay down” where the bottles alternate and stack in layers for better density. Those boxes will hold even the tallest Rieslings. Having dealt with this problem for years, and wanting to absolutely max the storage density in my locker, I have found that there are a few Austrian producers that ship in boxes where the bottles are stacked in alternating, with only a thin cardboard/paper buffer separating them. These are the absolute best for storage density. Amazingly, they ship in these boxes, and I have found they work well for locker storage. Schloss Gobelsburg is the best, Alzinger ships like this as well in 6-packs.

I see John has given some of the same advice while I was typing this.

Wine Storage Box - 14 1/8" x 9 5/8" x 15 7/8" includes 12 Bottle Corrugated Insert- $4.75 + s/h
http://www.boxvendor.com/winestoragebox-1418x958x1578includes12bottlecorrugatedinsert.aspx

I’ll check my local bottle shop for those Schloss Gobelsburg and Alzinger boxes, thanks for the tip. Wish I didn’t have such a German riesling habit :stuck_out_tongue:

I am still very happy with my Weinboxes. If you scroll down in this thread, I posted a few photos including one with riesling bottles: Anyone using Weinboxes? - WINE TALK - WineBerserkers

I also have found that I have to suck it up and collect Riesling boxes from wine stores as they come available.

One decent alternative in a pinch is to look for hard liquor boxes for certain brands (mostly Vodkas) that happen to produce tall/thin 750s- but these will be flimsier than most Riesling boxes and more difficult to deal with longer term in high stacks.

Here’s the picture pulled from the thread I mentioned above. Rieslings fit great.

Find a friend who does woodworking or who owns a table saw and make the boxes to your exact specifications, you’ll get exactly what you want. Cardboard is crap for storage.

thanks for the heads up on the weinboxes, they look great. The double-walled Uline cardboard boxes that the OP mentioned are a hassle to use, the walls are so thick that it’s hard to get the boxes to retain their shape once folded/taped – if I didn’t have a few dozen still waiting to be filled (bought optimistically :p), I’d be tempted to just go to all weinboxes for a simpler, more modular solution, especially since it looks like they can fit magnums/taller bottles more easily.

I’m definitely running into that problem with the double U-line cardboard boxes. I have to usually stack some textbooks on top after I’ve sealed them to try to get the flaps to stay bent.

Do the Weinboxes have lids? Suppose I want to ship my collection down the road (very likely).

Weinboxes are not for shipping. They are great for storage. You’ll need to find a shipping box with inserts for your specific wine sizes.

How are Weinboxes with stacking? Sturdy enough to stack 4-5 (or more high)? I think I’m gonna get some for Champagne and Alsace/german wines.

They’re great for stacking. The bottom of each sits inside the top of the lower one, which holds them together. Check out this post for some pictures of mine. I keep them stacked 4 high because that’s as many as I can fit vertically in my locker. They feel very stable at that height, and I think they could probably go several higher without too much trouble. I actually slide them around as stacks of 4 sometimes, to give you a sense of how stable they are.