Photo courtesy Stone Creek Furniture This former coat closet now boasts a 27-inch wine captain, granite countertop, diagonal cubicles and paneled wooden door ($2,500). “Anyone’s coat closet can transform into this,” says Stone Creek Furniture owner Ron Jones.

From quick gifts to custom closets, wine storage is a matter of, well, taste.

Whether you buy $10 bottles of wine from the grocer or $1,000 cases from the grower, the artful display of wine can enhance any collection.

And these days, even bottle-at-a-time wine buyers can have a bit of fun. “Some wine holders are really great for gifts,” says Allan Brown, whose online-based Wine Rack Boutique in Surprise sells recycled steel single-bottle holders welded to emulate everything from pirates and priests to Indian chiefs. These aren’t-I-cute countertop holders are ideal for the entry-level wine drinker.

Multiple-bottle wine racks play to a more serious, committed crowd. “Whether classical or modern, these say, ‘I’m into wine,’” Brown says, adding that the art and science of enjoying wine begins with a striking presentation. “There is a certain cachet about wine. You pour it, swish it around, enjoy the aroma. The taste, smell and presentation all work together.”

Ron Jones, owner of the Valley’s Stone Creek Furniture (stonecreekfurniture.com), agrees. “If you go to Napa or Sonoma, you love the ambience and you want to recreate that. You’re combining the visual with taste and scent.”

The fully committed wine connoisseur will want to invest in a dark, temperature- and humidity-controlled closet or cellar where wine is stored level to keep corks moist. Stone Creek (four Valley locations) has built everything from cave-like, Tuscan wine cellars to the custom coat-closet-turned-wine-closet pictured above.


 

1. Grapevine Wine Bottle Holder
This black powder-coated, compact wine holder is perfect for elegant dinner presentation ($58, glasses not included). Available at the Surprise-based online retailer Winerackboutique.com, 623-298-4538














2. Bamboo Six-Bottle Wine Rack
Manufactured with non-forested bamboo by Sustainable Wine Cellars, this six-bottle rack ($48) adheres to the requirements of the U.S. Green Building Council. After the Vine Wine Cellars, (located inside Best Home Appliances, 4727 E. Bell Road, Ste. 47, 480-365-8200, afterthevine.com).












3. Iron Wine Rack
This wrought-iron grapevine six-bottle holder ($104) will attract the attention of your friends while storing wine with compact, distinctive presentation. Winerackboutique.com, 623-298-4538















4. Flow Wall Mount
Clean, quirky and functional, the space-saving wall-mount design of the Flow wine rack ($65) accommodates up to eight bottles. Artafax, 8230 E. Raintree Drive, Ste. 109, Scottsdale, 480-951-8484,
artafax.com.














5. Distress Black Wine Cabinet
The embodiment of simple elegance, this black 16-bottle wine cabinet ($299) features a removable wood serving tray and a small drawer. Stool & Dinette Factory, two Valley locations: Chandler, 480-834-8555 or Peoria, 623-776-1640, azstoolanddinette.com.