Properly storing wine keeps flavor and lets wine age so that you can taste its evolving, complex flavor. Buying a wine rack, however, can be pricey, especially for someone who is more interested in developing a robust wine collection, not decorating.

Before you begin construction, plan where you will put the wine rack. Storing the wine in the right environment is crucial to its flavor. Always store wine in a cool, dark, and slightly humid area. Never store wine in the sun or in the heat. It will cook the wine and ruin its flavor. Keep the temperature between 50 and 59 degrees Fahrenheit. Store the wine on its side so it keeps the cork moist.

Wine rack kits let you grow your wine collection piece by piece. Wall-mounted wine racks let you store nine to 36 bottles on one shelf. Wall-mounted metal wine racks make it easy to see the label of each bottle. Expect to pay between $50 and $100 for each shelf. Dont be afraid to ask the retailer for a discount if you buy many shelves at once. You can also buy matching wine islands so that you can store wine and have a tabletop in your wine cellar. Look online for the best selection.

Build your own wine rack for the lowest cost. Free plans are on the Internet, and youll probably need at least a table saw or jigsaw, a sander, and drill press. For simple projects, you can expect to pay less than $10 for equipment.

Probably the cheapest, but most effective wine rack you can build uses brick and wood planks. Stack the bricks for height, and use wooden planks with smaller wooden dividers for an easy-to-make wine rack.