Diamond Cube Wine storage

[Toasty Oak]

I'm running out of storage room in my basement and would like to build something similar to those Diamond bins you see at some Restaurants.<BR>I'm pretty handy and would like to build them myself, has anyone on this board tried? and what pointers could you offer?<BR>Thanks,<BR>T.O.

[Kcwhippet]

I really don't like those diamond (or cube) racks for a few reasons. I have two deep straight racks and I know where every bottle is. The diamonds are great for case lots (like WW buys), but if you have a number of different wines in a diamond, it's a real hassle getting out the bottle on the very bottom you just have to have that day. Plus your inventory system only shows what cube the bottles are in. What if you moved a few around to get at that bottom bottle and forgot to put them all back. Some people like them - I don't.<p>[This message has been edited by Kcwhippet (edited 03-15-2005).]

[hotwine]

I used diamonds for several years that I had cobbled together from plywood (1/2", I think, which wasn't stout enough). I used them for several years until they began to fall apart due to the high humidity in the cellar during that period. They worked OK in holding a case each in 13" squares (for Bordeaux style bottles), but KC is right about some of the hassles involved. I used numbered thick paper tags hanging from cupboard cup hooks at the apex of each diamond to indicate bottle locations. Each rack contained something like 16 bins, so bottle locations were recorded in the database as rack #/bin #. <P>In addition to the drawbacks KC mentioned, I found visibility of the bottles to be a problem, especially with the lighting I'm using in the cellar (rope-lights around the edges of the ceiling). I'm using metal racks now, of welded rod, purchased at Sam's Club; each rack holds seven scalloped shelves and each shelf holds two cases, so I get 14 cases per rack. And the bottle labels are clearly visible, even in the gloomy lighting. The numbering system now is: storage unit letter/rack #/shelf #, and it works fine (I'm using three storage units.... the cellar, a EuroCave, and a Haier).

[winoweenie]

My ex son-in-law built my cellar out of 1"x12" lumber. dovetailed for strength and solidity. Each diamond holds 18 bottles and as KC pointed out it has some drawbacks if you don't have at least full cases to cellar. It is definately the most economical cellaring option if you have a lot of wine to age. I haven't had many problems except when I had so much wine come in at one time after the 2000 Bordeaux futures arrived that I blocked off almost the back third of the cellar. I occassionally find " Orphan " bottles that I've either mis-placed or written off but I still can't figure out any other storage system that allows the maximum amount of wine to be stored in the minimum space available. WW

[Toasty Oak]

Thanks everyone for your great replies, H.W. I saw that rack from an earlier post and I almost bought it but it’s a bit to tall for the area I'm using. I probably should have given more info in my original post, I'm going to store a few cases of the wines which I find my wife and I seem to drink regularly and therefore buy often. Currently I have two wooden racks that hold about 2 cases each and the labels can be read easily. My goal is to have 2 'bulk' wine cubes one for myself and one for my wife.<BR>This all came about a few weeks ago when I came home and found my wife and friends drinking a couple of bottles of 01 insignia, <IMG SRC="http://www.wines.com/ubb2/eek.gif"> my wives friends commented to me that it was great tasting wine. I forced myself to remain in control and said "oh yeah, it sure is and in a few more years it would have been fantastic". I love that woman.<BR>

[hotwine]

Dang, I hope! Dunno of a fix for that, other than separate LOCKING wine fridges, his & hers. With that experience, I'd sure be tempted to do just that.... buy a pair and think of it as an investment.