How to Build a Riddler Wine Rack

Riddling racks keep sparkling wines tilted at just the right angle during aging.

Once champagne has been processed and bottled, additional yeast and sugar are added to the bottles before corking. These additions ferment and add a little more alcohol to the champagne and a lot of bubbles in the form of CO2. Unfortunately, during this second fermentation, spent yeast hulls settle and stick to the sides and bottoms of the bottles. Champagne makers use a riddling rack to remove this sediment and concentrate it in the neck of the bottle. The bottles are placed in the rack, cork-end first, at a slight angle, and a “riddler” rotates each bottle a little bit each day, increasing the angle of the bottle slightly. Even if you do not make your own champagne at home, a small, hanging riddling rack will make an interesting and conversation-starting wine rack for your own personal collection of wines.

Things You'll Need

• Tape measure
• Carpenters pencil
• 3 1-inch-by-6-inch, 6-foot long boards
• Electric drill or drill press
• 2 1/2-inch-hole saw bit
• Electric sander or sanding block
• 100-to-150-grit sandpaper
• Tack cloth
• Wood stain, paint or varnish
• Paint brush or staining rags
• 15 1-inch-by-3-inch, 16-inch long boards
• Electric screwdriver
• Hammer
• Wood screws, 1 1/4 inches, or nails, 1 1/4 inches
• 100-pound professional picture hangers

Instructions

1. Measure and mark a point 5 inches from the end of a 1-inch-by-6-inch, 6-foot-long board. Measure the width of the board, marking the center point with a pencil. Mark an "X" where the two points intersect, which is the center of the hole you will be drilling later. Make additional marks every 5 inches along the length of the board, measuring the width of the board each time to keep your marks centered. Stop when you have 6 marks. Repeat using two more 1-inch-by-6-inch, 6-foot-long boards.

2. Drill a hole at a 45-degree angle, centered on each mark and using an electric drill and a hole saw bit.

3. Sand the drilled boards and 15 1-inch-by-3-inch, 16-inch-long boards with a sander or sanding block and sandpaper to remove roughness and prepare the boards for finishing. Use sandpaper only to sand the insides of the holes. Wipe away the dust with a tack cloth.

4. Stain, paint or varnish the boards as desired. Let dry completely.

5. Lay the three 1-inch-by-6-inch, 6-foot-long boards side by side with the back facing you. Make sure the holes will be angles upward on the front of the boards when the rack is upright.

6. Center a 1-inch-by-3-inch, 16-inch-long board across all three boards and covering the top half of the top set of holes. Secure the board in place with an electric screwdriver and wood screws, or a hammer and nails, with the screws or nails evenly placed across the top of the board. Do not place nails or screws in the hole areas. Repeat down the length of the rack, attaching a 1-inch-by-3-inch, 16-inch-long board across all three boards and covering the top half of each set of holes.

7. Place a 1-inch-by-3-inch, 16-inch-long board across the top 1-inch-by-3-inch, 16-inch-long board, moving it to overhang the bottom of the board by about one-quarter inch. Secure the board in place with an electric screwdriver and wood screws, or a hammer and nails, with the screws or nails evenly placed across the top of the board. Do not place nails or screws in the hole areas or over the previous nails or screws. Repeat down the length of the rack, overhanging a 1-inch-by-3-inch, 16-inch-long board across the previous set of boards.

8. Repeat the previous step with a third set of 1-inch-by-3-inch, 16-inch-long boards. You will be able to see the the three layers of back boards through the holes.

9. Attach the rack to the wall with a 100-pound professional picture hanger. Place one wine bottle in each hole by inserting the cork end into the hole and securing under the back boards. The wine bottle will stay at an angle, preventing the cork from drying out, which would allow air into the bottle, diminishing the quality of the wine.

References

• Small Wine Cellars and Wine Storage Cubes: Build your own Riddling Wine Rack
• Good Morning Arizona: Make a 15-Bottle Riddling Wine Rack