A wine rack in your home serves two purposes, regardless of its complexity or size: It creates a pleasing focal point and it protects your wine from spoiling by preventing drying of the cork.

After that, a plethora of styles, sizes and shapes of wine racks exist to serve a seemingly endless variety of individual needs. And the process of choosing a good wine rack should be precise: Its a piece of furniture that inherently improves the ambiance of your room. Important factors to consider when purchasing your wine rack include:

Location, location, location If you are selecting a wine rack for the kitchen, you may choose a more casual model, but if it will be featured in a more formal setting, like a den or formal dining room, you should pay more attention to your homes style: Is it classic or contemporary? What colors and styles are featured throughout? Consider a wrought iron wine rack for a contemporary yet elegant look that fits into nearly any design style. A house with a traditional or country style may be best suited to a wood wine rack. If youre looking for a wine storage rack for your family bar area, a wine table or a wall mounted wine rack may be the best bet.

Wherever you decide to put your wine rack, its important to store your wine away from excessive temperature changes, ideally in a cool, dry place.

Size matters Once you determine the room your wine rack will be featured in, you should shift your focus to the space available. If space is tight, you may want to consider a hanging wine rack or a wall wine rack to add an elegant touch to any room. If you have more space, a corner or stand-alone wine tower is an excellent choice. You might also consider wine racks that fit on your table or countertop or even ones that fit behind a door or in an existing cabinet.

Bottle collector Another important factor in determining your wine rack needs is to take into account the number and type of wine bottles you plan on storing. Are you a casual wine drinker who keeps a few bottles on hand in case company stops by? Are you a connoisseur who dreams of having a massive wine cellar long into old age? Do you typically store large, wide bottles of wine, or more traditional sizes?

If many of your bottles are oversized, make sure the wine rack is long and wide enough to hold these special bottles. If you plan on building a collection, but are starting small, consider stackable wine racks or modular wine racks, which allow you to build onto your collection as you go. Since theyre well constructed, metal wine racks and wooden wine racks are ideal for large quantities of wine.

Set the mood Some wine racks are decorative pieces that hold only one or two bottles of wine. These racks enhance romantic dinners and special dinner parties by serving as a focal point on your dinner table. Regardless of the tone youd like to set, you can find a wine server to convey it: There are whimsical, elegant and casual wine caddies, wine servers and wine racks available to suit any taste.

Express yourself! Browse a variety of online outlets to get a feel for the wine rack that best suits your needs and your taste. Once you start looking, chances are youll be surprised by the outstanding variety of wine racks on the market.