By Michelle Kaufmann
What’s greener than organic wine? Storing organic wine in an wine rack made from reused materials. Better still, this wine rack is simple to make and the basic geometric design should complement any countertop.
You may already have the cans you need to make the wine rack at home, but if not, just start keeping the cans you use during the week or buy some the next time you’re at the store and plan a few meals around the food that comes inside.
A standard-sized can isn’t going to be big enough for a wine bottle — to store regular wine bottles, look for cans that are more than three inches in diameter or, for champagne bottles, four inches. You can also include smaller cans to stylize the rack or store half bottles. Also make sure the bottoms of the cans don’t have a rounded edge or else you won’t be able to get it off with a can opener. You’ll want eight to 10 cans for your rack.
VIDEO: Watch Michelle put together this simple but stylish wine rack>>
To build it:
1. Remove the tops and bottoms of the cans and any paper labels. Wash each can well. Check for any jagged edges on the cans to be sure you don't cut yourself using it.
2. To start assembling the wine rack, start with the champagne sized cans on the bottom for greater stability.
3. There are two ways to assemble the rack: with glue or with beaded chain. If you choose glue, which creates a sleeker look, use a high quality glue like Gorilla or an epoxy adhesive. Offset each can so that you’re not gluing them lip to lip because it won’t connect enough surface area to attach the cans well. Use clothes pins to hold cans in place as the glue dries.
4. For a stronger, sturdier wine rack, use beaded chain instead of glue. At every point at which two cans meet, loop a length of beaded chain through both and cut it so that the ends just barely meet. Use a fastener to attach the ends.
5. If you’d like, you can paint the cans. For example, you can start with a base color and then add a stenciled pattern over it, around the cans. But if you like the look of the unadulterated cans then there’s no need to paint them.
Once the wine rack is finished you just need to find the perfect place for it so that you can show it off for all to see (and have easy access to its contents!). Stock it with your favorite organic or biodynamic wines and invite a few friends over to enjoy the wine and, more importantly, admire your amazing handiwork.
Download the instructions for this project from Michelle Kaufmann's blog >>
Provided by Michelle Kaufmann - http://www.michellekaufmann.com
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