Building new cellar -- how to store 375ml bottles?

[mike_basile]

I have basic pine racks from WRA and if recalling correctly the 375 did not sit well in the standard racks to maximize space so I ordered some 375 racks. If I had to do it again I would just use a tube in the standard racks or use a instacrate/wienbox like mentioned above. Of course if it’s a show cellar your building then maybe not.

[Scott_Jameson]

@Dillon_S

Being that I’m building the cellar from scratch, and I’m already ordering all the racks off of WRA, I’d like to keep everything in either a standard, magnum, or split rack. I’m just wondering how often 375ml bottles fit in standard racking. My goal is to keep split racking to an absolute minimum, or perhaps even eliminate it entirely.

I’m curious to hear from those who have WRA standard racking if 375ml bottles generally fit.

What did WRA say when you asked them?

I had “standard” 750 racking from multiple vendors (but not WRA) and a “normal” 375 wouldn’t fit in any of them. Some Champagne bottles would stay, but the top and neck would tilt over into the lower bin.

[MChang]

@Dillon_S

Being that I’m building the cellar from scratch, and I’m already ordering all the racks off of WRA, I’d like to keep everything in either a standard, magnum, or split rack. I’m just wondering how often 375ml bottles fit in standard racking. My goal is to keep split racking to an absolute minimum, or perhaps even eliminate it entirely.

I’m curious to hear from those who have WRA standard racking if 375ml bottles generally fit.

I personally think it’s a waste of time and you’d better use the space to store 750s and mags, but do whatever you want. Unless you’re building far more racking than you intend to have bottles to fill, you’re going to end up having wine in boxes and it’s much easier to store 375s in open bins and 750s and mags on shelves, in my opinion.

[D_Lieberman]

Just waxed the bottom of the frames, ez/pz. 17 drawers in all, each holding 16 375’s

[D_Lieberman]

Double deep redwood 750’s to the left. 3L and larger to the right.

[D_Lieberman]

No guides. Could not be any simpler!

[Jeff_Vaughan]

I like those drawers. I use OWC’s on their sides that sit on the top of my individual racks. Not the easiest to pull one out of the bottom of the box though.

[Nate_Simon]

@Billy_Evans

Does anyone make adapters that can sit crossways across the bottle opening to let small bottles rest on?

I asked such a question a long time ago. Some smart person suggested appropriate-diameter poster mailing tube or PVC pipe that will hold in the racking but will accomodate a 375 mL.

[Dillon_S]

@mike_basile

I have basic pine racks from WRA and if recalling correctly the 375 did not sit well in the standard racks to maximize space so I ordered some 375 racks. If I had to do it again I would just use a tube in the standard racks or use a instacrate/wienbox like mentioned above. Of course if it’s a show cellar your building then maybe not.

It’s not a show cellar. At least I wouldn’t classify it as one. Below is what it looks like so far, though I’m waiting on WRA to make some revisions (adding a 2nd tasting table to the north wall to sit between the racking), and changing the double deep racking to single deep. The reason I wouldn’t consider it to be a show cellar is there’s no display racks or similar. For my personal needs, I designed this with function over form, not that either is wrong it’s a very personal decision. The whole cellar is either magnum, standard, and maybe split racking. I like the idea of every bottle having it’s own slot not for show purposes, but rather functionality. With bins I’m sure you can hold a lot more bottles per square foot, but I want each bottle to have it’s own slot so that they’re easy to find, easily accessible, and I don’t have to worry about stacking bottles (I hate stacking bottles, this is why I opted to skip any diamond bins)

@Scott_Jameson

What did WRA say when you asked them?

I had “standard” 750 racking from multiple vendors (but not WRA) and a “normal” 375 wouldn’t fit in any of them. Some Champagne bottles would stay, but the top and neck would tilt over into the lower bin.

I’ve been designing the cellar with them going back and forth over email for a few weeks now. I’ve asked this question a few times and haven’t been able to get answer (if I’m being honest the design process hasn’t been ideal). Their website shows that a “standard” rack accommodates 375 bottles. What has me questioning this is the fact that they make a dedicated split rack.

I realize there’s all different shapes when it comes to any size bottle so it’s impossible to say that 100% of 375s will or will not fit in standard or will or will not fit in 375 racks. I was just curious what people’s experience here with this was, and figured the group here would probably know better than WRA if I had to guess, given that you’re the ones actually using the racks day in and day out.

@MChang

I personally think it’s a waste of time and you’d better use the space to store 750s and mags, but do whatever you want. Unless you’re building far more racking than you intend to have bottles to fill, you’re going to end up having wine in boxes and it’s much easier to store 375s in open bins and 750s and mags on shelves, in my opinion.

I’m building racking for roughly double the amount of bottles I currently have to hopefully avoid having wine in boxes and bins so that everything can sit in it’s own slot. Of course only time will tell if this is too much or too little racking.

[MChang]

@Dillon_S

@mike_basile

I have basic pine racks from WRA and if recalling correctly the 375 did not sit well in the standard racks to maximize space so I ordered some 375 racks. If I had to do it again I would just use a tube in the standard racks or use a instacrate/wienbox like mentioned above. Of course if it’s a show cellar your building then maybe not.

It’s not a show cellar. At least I wouldn’t classify it as one. Below is what it looks like so far, though I’m waiting on WRA to make some revisions (adding a 2nd tasting table to the north wall to sit between the racking), and changing the double deep racking to single deep. The reason I wouldn’t consider it to be a show cellar is there’s no display racks or similar. For my personal needs, I designed this with function over form, not that either is wrong it’s a very personal decision. The whole cellar is either magnum, standard, and maybe split racking. I like the idea of every bottle having it’s own slot not for show purposes, but rather functionality. With bins I’m sure you can hold a lot more bottles per square foot, but I want each bottle to have it’s own slot so that they’re easy to find, easily accessible, and I don’t have to worry about stacking bottles (I hate stacking bottles, this is why I opted to skip any diamond bins)

@Scott_Jameson

What did WRA say when you asked them?

I had “standard” 750 racking from multiple vendors (but not WRA) and a “normal” 375 wouldn’t fit in any of them. Some Champagne bottles would stay, but the top and neck would tilt over into the lower bin.

I’ve been designing the cellar with them going back and forth over email for a few weeks now. I’ve asked this question a few times and haven’t been able to get answer (if I’m being honest the design process hasn’t been ideal). Their website shows that a “standard” rack accommodates 375 bottles. What has me questioning this is the fact that they make a dedicated split rack.

I realize there’s all different shapes when it comes to any size bottle so it’s impossible to say that 100% of 375s will or will not fit in standard or will or will not fit in 375 racks. I was just curious what people’s experience here with this was, and figured the group here would probably know better than WRA if I had to guess, given that you’re the ones actually using the racks day in and day out.

@MChang

I personally think it’s a waste of time and you’d better use the space to store 750s and mags, but do whatever you want. Unless you’re building far more racking than you intend to have bottles to fill, you’re going to end up having wine in boxes and it’s much easier to store 375s in open bins and 750s and mags on shelves, in my opinion.

I’m building racking for roughly double the amount of bottles I currently have to hopefully avoid having wine in boxes and bins so that everything can sit in it’s own slot. Of course only time will tell if this is too much or too little racking.

If you’re like most ppl on WB it’s not enough. I have racking for 10k bottles and still have wine in open bins and boxes, it just is what it is.

[Tom_R_W]

Dillon,
Here’s my standard (750ml) Wine Racks America racking (that happens to be a corner unit) with 375’s in them. My 375’s are mainly stickies & port, which all fit. My only exceptions have been a couple of US dessert wines in very skinny bottles over the years.
FWIW- Never tried to put a riesling 375 in the racks (and don’t have any to try).

[David_K2]

I just keep my 375s in cardboard boxes or Weinboxes.

[Dillon_S]

@Tom_R_W

Dillon,
Here’s my standard (750ml) Wine Racks America racking (that happens to be a corner unit) with 375’s in them. My 375’s are mainly stickies & port, which all fit. My only exceptions have been a couple of US dessert wines in very skinny bottles over the years.
FWIW- Never tried to put a riesling 375 in the racks (and don’t have any to try).

Thanks for sharing Tom. This is extremely helpful.
This may be a dumb question, but I assume interior dimensions for bottles in the corner racking is the same as non-corner racking, right? I’m guessing you just chose to put the 375s their for organizational purposes?

If so, it seems like split racking isn’t necessary.

[Barry_L_i_p_t_o_n]

I have bin drawers: 2 as deep as a milk box , 4 at half the depth.

2 of the halves are for 375s, the other two halves are for German/alsace wines that are long (and won’t fit two double deep).

The big ones are big bottles and magnums

Highly recommend it, racking for splits (and German wines) wastes a lot of space.

Can post pictures if you are interested.

[Tom_R_W]

Good question. I do have non-corner single bottle racks too so I’ll measure when I get back home this evening.

[AndrewH]

@Dillon_S

I’m in the process of building a cellar, and I’m curious to hear from those who have standard racks (not 375 specific ones) from Wine Racks America, if most 375ml bottles fit in standard size racking?

Yes - I have a number of 375s in regular racking (e.g., Sauternes). Obviously it’s less space efficient, but I ended up with more 375s than I projected.

[Wes_Barton]

Byw, hock bottles can fit neck to neck overlay in most standard 2 deep racking. Putting 375s on the bottom row solves the slip through problem, if you don’t have too many.

[Tom_R_W]

Just measured. The corner & non-corner single bottle racking have the same spacing. The pcs the bottles rest on are consistently 2 1/8” apart, so anything over 2 1/8” diameter shouldn’t fall through.

[Brian_Tuite]

I pile mine in OWCs, they’ll slip right through my racking.

[Brian_Tuite]

I do that with my magnum slots when I don’t have enough mags to fill them. PVC pipe and a 750.