Rack location in wine cellar

[hotwine]

Welcome to the board, Atrent. I don't think it matters much whether you flatten them against the walls or leave air-space behind them. I've mounted mine both ways over the years, and personally believe the bottles benefit from good air circulation; so I'm currently using racks of welded rod from Sam's Club shoved up against the walls. Previous racking was diamond bins made of plywood, which seemed to encourage formation of mold and mildew. The bottles stay nice and clean with the current storage. If you have good control of temperature and humidity, it probably doesn't matter; but if your cellar has an RH of more than 70%, the racks will need all the help with air circulation that you can give them.