Building a Wine Rack

Small Pantry Wine Rack 

Last year we remodeled our kitchen, which took nearly a year.  And while at it, I also build a new pantry.  
When I built the pantry I didn't paint it right away because summer was fast approaching.   Instead, I filled the shelves and waited for colder winter months.  

So last month, while the snow was flying I decided to paint the shelves. And while the shelves were bare, I came up with the idea to build a wine rack.  

This wine rack is a simple design and easy for just about anyone to build.

Supplies I used:

Pine 1 x 3 and 1 x 2 boards

Saw

Hole Saw Kit  

Cordless Screwdriver

Tape Measure

Pencil

Level

Drywall screws or nails

Drill bit

Sandpaper

Paint or stain

Hole Saw kit and cordless screwdriver

One of the best gifts my husband has given me is the DeWalt drill set.  We have had Milwaukee and Porter-cable brand drill sets, but this one is the best yet.  My nephew Sammie has the same set and I fell in love with it.  It's lightweight but still has just as much if not more power than the older bigger sets we have. And the batteries are better, last longer, and are easy to remove.  

How I made it:

The wine bottle’s neck and bottom will be resting on a piece of wood that has a half-circle cut-out. So the first step is to determine what size hole saw is needed to make the cuts.  I measured the bottom of a wine bottle which is a little less than 3 inches across. So for that cut-out, I need at least a 3” hole saw.

I then measured the neck of the wine bottle to determine the size hole saw needed.

This I did by just placing a hole saw over the neck of the bottle.

     

I used a 1 x 3 piece of wood for the bottom of the wine bottle to rest on and a 1 x 2 piece of wood for the neck of the bottle to rest on.

I am building the wine rack right into a pantry shelf, so I cut the length of the boards to the width of the shelf.

The width of the shelf I am building the wine rack into is 30 inches wide so the boards were cut 30 inches long. 

After figuring out how many racks I could fit into the shelf (3) I cut all the boards needed, 3 – 1x 3’s and 3 – 1 x 2’s.  Now to determine how far apart each wine bottle will be from each other.  The widest part of the wine bottle is just under 3 inches so I decided to make the cuts every 4 inches. 

I can fit 7 bottles of wine on each rack, leaving 1 inch of space on each side, (30 inches divided by 4 inches is 7, leaving 2 inches over).  

I made the first cut mark at the middle of the board, then measured 4 inches from the center and made a mark for the next cut, and so on. 

The cuts should be started at the center of each mark.

The same procedure is done for all the boards of the wine rack.

Once all the boards were cut, you may need to lightly sand the rough edges with sandpaper.

Once sanded, install them into the shelf.  I used 1 x 2’s of wood cut the height of the shelf, then secured to the sides of the shelf.  These will be the support boards and what the rack boards will be attached to.  Make sure each rack is level when installing.

You may want to pre-paint the wood before installing it. 

Racks attached to 1 x 2's for support

I used drywall screws because my wine rack will be painted to match my pantry shelves, and I can cover the screw holes with spackle.  

You may want to use nails if you plan on staining the wood.

3 levels of racks installed

Make sure to make the racks far enough apart so the wine bottle can be easily removed.

Also, it is always a good idea to pre-drill the screw or nail holes.  Believe me, I have split my share of wood when I did not pre-drill.

Wine rack complete and ready for paint

Other Blog Posts:

Easy Shelves You Can Build Yourself

Pantry Stocking List

Installing a Chair Rail and Building a Kitchenette