Build your own wine rack – the right way to store fine wines

You need: Multi-sander, g-clamps, Non-returnable pallet

Do you have all the materials and tools ready? Then let’s get started. Start by removing the boards from the non-returnable pallet. Non-returnable pallets are smaller compared to EUR pallets and are not meant to be reused, making them perfect for our upcycling project.

Use a jigsaw to cut the individual parts of your wine rack, such as the panels for the rear wall, the panels for the sides, the boards for the shelves, the panel for the cover and the cross boards. Our sawing video tutorials are packed full of great tips on how to choose and use the jigsaw. This includes how to make straight cut with the jigsaw, for example.

Next, sand all the individual parts with a multi-sander. Check out our video tutorials for sanding tools and our sanding guide to find out more.

You need: Cordless drill/driver, Standard Screwdriver Bit Mixed Sets, Brad Point Drill Bit Set 8 Pieces, g-clamps, Sawn and sanded panels from step 1, 20 wood screws (3.5 x 30 mm)

Put the five 1100-mm-long panels together so that they form a nice rear wall and then turn them over. Attach a crossbar to the back of the rear wall. First secure it to the panels with G-clamps. Then pre-drill the holes for the screws with a cordless drill/driver so that the wood doesn’t split and countersink the screws.

You need: Cordless drill/driver, Standard Screwdriver Bit Mixed Sets, Brad Point Drill Bit Set 8 Pieces, g-clamps, folding rule, Square, pencil, scrap wooden board, Side walls

In this step, you’ll prepare the side walls for the wine rack. The top four shelves must be aligned at an angle so you can lay your bottles down horizontally to store them. This is important to prevent the cork from drying out in the neck of the bottle.

Place the shelf board diagonally and flush with the edge on the side wall and mark the outlines. Repeat this process for all four shelves.

Once you’ve marked all the cross boards, you can then stack the two side walls on top of each other and place them on a piece of scrap wood. Secure the boards with G-clamps and draw two vertical guide lines for the holes. Then you can drill the holes. You can use these holes to screw the shelves in from behind later.

Helpful hint: The more screws, the more sturdy the shelf – so don’t skimp on drilling holes.

You need: Cordless drill/driver, Standard Screwdriver Bit Mixed Sets, Brad Point Drill Bit Set 8 Pieces, g-clamps, 10 wood screws (3.5 x 40 mm), 16 floorboard screws (3.5 x 40 mm), Side walls, Rear wall

You can now connect the side walls to the rear wall. Put the wooden panels together and fasten them with G-clamps. Next, you should drill about five holes along the entire length of the rack (image 1). Screw the wooden panels to these holes.

Once the basic framework of the rack is in place, you can then attach the slanted shelves. To do this, place the boards diagonally on the previously drilled holes and screw them tight (image 2). We recommend using floorboard screws in visible areas, as they are particularly inconspicuous and disappear well into the wood.

You need: Cordless drill/driver, Standard Screwdriver Bit Mixed Sets, Brad Point Drill Bit Set 8 Pieces, Jigsaws, 25 mm Forstner drill bit, g-clamps, wine glass for sizing, folding rule, pencil, Shelf board

In this step, we will build the holder for the wine glasses. You need to measure the precise distance between the holes from which the glasses will hang to make sure they have enough space and don’t touch each other. First determine the diameter of your glasses. Ours measure 100 mm.

Next, you need to measure and mark the centre of the board. Then you can determine the positions for the holes. Leave enough space between the holes for the diameter of the glasses. It’s also important to leave space around the rim so that the glasses have a bit of room. It’s a good idea to use a distance the same length as the radius of the wine glasses here. For example, we’ve opted for a distance of 100 mm between the holes and 50 mm to the edge.

The next step is to drill the holes. We used a Forstner drill for this and drilled holes with a diameter of 25 mm into the shelf board (image 1). You should finish the holder by sawing a 20 mm hole in the board. A jigsaw is suitable for this (see image 2).

You need: Cordless drill/driver, Standard Screwdriver Bit Mixed Sets, Brad Point Drill Bit Set 8 Pieces, g-clamps, Shelf boards, Cover panel, 15 floorboard screws (3.5 x 40 mm)

Finally, you need to install the shelf for the standing wine bottles and the holder for the wine glasses in the rack. Pre-drill the holes before you screw the shelf board to the side walls of the rack.

Align the board for the wine glass holder so that the glasses are flush at the bottom. In our case, the glasses are 130 mm tall, which means the distance from the shelf to the bottom of the rack is also 130 mm.

Once both shelves are securely in place, you can screw on the cover panel. This makes sure that the standing wine bottles remain securely on the shelf and can’t fall out.

You can varnish the wood or glaze it depending on your personal taste and the type of wood you’ve used for the wine rack. This is quick and easy to do with a paint spray system – check out our paint spray guide to find out more.

You can also build a wine holder with hanging glasses to go with your wine rack, so you can enjoy your favourite vintage wherever you choose to sit. Olives go well with any good wine, and they don’t always have to be from a jar. We’ll show you how to plant and care for an olive tree, and we also have a guide to build a chic DIY Lazy Susan so you can serve the fruits of your labour to your friends – as a little something to nibble on before enjoying pizzas on individual DIY pizza boards, for instance.  

Would you like to try out more creative DIY projects involving wood? Or do you want to create additional storage space? We’ll show how you can build a shelf from an old frame-and-panel door, make a space-saving corner shelf or create a DIY wall shelf from wooden slats, for instance. You’ll also find more ideas, such as our shelf made of pallets, in our DIY holders section.