Wine racks & bottle displays

Choose the height based on where the stand will go. A table model works next to a place setting or on a buffet, where guests are already looking. The floor-standing models of 60 and 68 cm are meant for the floor beside a table or next to a cooler, bringing the bottle up to a height where someone seated still sees it clearly.

Next, look at the base. A narrow base looks more elegant but tips over the moment someone brushes past with a bag, and a falling bottle is an expensive mistake. Stainless steel stays neutral and suits almost any interior, while black aluminium is lighter in weight and disappears against a dark background, letting the bottle itself set the scene. Either way, only display a bottle you genuinely want to sell, because the stand draws attention regardless of what is on it.

Position the stand so the label faces the guest and not the service side. That sounds obvious, but in practice a bottle stands the wrong way round more often than the right way. Beside a table, place it on the side where nobody walks past, so a server does not knock into it with a tray.

For white and rosé wine, combine the stand with a cooler rather than leaving the bottle out of the cold for long, and the wine coolers are grouped together. With red wine that is not an issue, as long as the stand is not in the sun or next to a heat source. Uncork at the table rather than in the kitchen, so guests see where the bottle comes from.

A stand often sits exactly where things get spilled. Include it in the daily round, because a damp cloth and drying straight away is enough. Stainless steel handles water well, but salt and acid leave dull patches over time if you let them dry on.

Black lacquered aluminium is more sensitive to scratches than to water. Do not use abrasive cleaners and do not slide the stand across a stone floor, lift it instead. Check now and then that the base is still tight, because a loose screw is the most common cause of a toppling bottle.

If you are after storage rather than display, a horizontal rack is a better choice than a stand. For pouring and serving, the wine accessories are grouped together, including aerators and stoppers, and for letting a bottle breathe there are the decanters. Glassware that can handle a busy venue is with the hospitality glasses, and the bowls themselves with the wine glasses. If you would rather use the bottle than pour it, the recipe for sangria sits with the other cocktail pages.