The Top 11 Best Wine Crates

Not all wine crates are the same. Some are more valuable than the others, and this is based on a few factors:

• Who designed the wine crate, and how highly detailed it is

• What class the winery is in (First Growth, Second Growth, Grand Cru etc.)

• When the winery was established (Many wineries are over 1,000 years old)

• How rare it is (Some wineries only produce a dozen or so crates per vintage)

• Where the winery is located (The most expensive are generally from France or California)

Below are the top 10 best in the world:

1. Domaine Romanee Conti (DRC)

This is the most expensive wine in the world. Made in Burgundy, the winery is ancient. The logo is highly detailed, and there's always a bidding war by private investors for each case almost every vintage. This means that the crate is almost always kept by the buyer, usually as an investment for years to come.

2. Chateau Petrus

Petrus is the most well known label to the general public. A bottle from Chateau Petrus isn't as expensive as a DRC but it's close. The label is exquisite and very unique. Petrus is an extremely rare and difficult wine and wine crate to acquire for the same reasons a DRC is.

3. Chateau Latour

Dealing with the First Growths on this list is tricky because they're all rare. Chateau Latour happens to have the lowest wine production, so it's a more difficult crate to acquire. It also happens to be the second most highly detailed crate (After Chateau Mouton Rothschild).

4. Chateau Mouton Rothschild

The amazing thing about Mouton Rothschild is that the label is redesigned every few years by a different French artist. The crates are always very distinctive based on the vintage, yet the overall design remains essentially the same. Some vintages also have slightly larger bottles made as well.

5. Chateau Lafite Rothschild

Lafite Rotshschild is the most expensive of the First Growth wineries, and arguably the most acclaimed among wine enthusiasts. The logo is unique, but not as highly detailed as some of the others. 

6. Chateau Margaux

The Margaux region is considered the best of Bordeaux by many enthusiasts, and Chateau Margaux is arguably considered the finest of the First Growths. The engraved design logo is of the ancient and highly recognized chateau mansion, and many other wineries fashioned their own chateau mansions like it.

7. Chateau Haut-Brion

This is the only First Growth winery that is owned by an American corporation. The other four are still owned by families in France dating back many generations. Chateau Haut-Brion is ancient, and dates back well before the French Revolution. It happened to be Thomas Jefferson's favorite wine.

8. Screaming Eagle

The first wine crate from Napa Valley on the list, Screaming Eagle is nearly impossible to acquire because it's very difficult to purchase the actual wine on the open market. Many of the bottles are already pre-purchased by private collectors and buyers who are on the waiting list directly from the winery. The logo on the lid is large and highly detailed. Most Screaming Eagle crates hold either 1 or 3 bottles. There aren't any 6 or 12 bottle sizes.

9. Cakebread

Cakebread isn't a particularly renowned winery but the wine crate is incredible. All four sides and lid are engraved with an exceptional design of the vineyard. The lid is slide-top style, and all the sides are 3/4" thick. Cakebread is the number one choice for wine-themed tables and unique woodworking projects for wine cellars.

10. Robert Mondavi Continuum

The second most requested piece among those that create wine-themed woodworking projects, the lid of a Continuum crate has the highest detailed design logo in all of the winemaking world. The crate itself is oversized to hold their uniquely shaped bottles, and the picture is lush and eye-catching. Continuum is only made in 6 bottle flat style.

11. Nickel & Nickel

Another extremely high detailed wine crate, the Nickel & Nickel piece is engraved with a large and thick picture of the chateau mansion on the front and back side of the lid. The left and right hand sides of the crate have carved handles, and the lettering font of the winery which is gorgeous and like no other. The lid is a flip-top style which is also rare. Most Napa 6 bottle crates are slide-top, or sit atop the crate unattached.

We usually have some of the First Growths in stock, but the Napa's have a waiting list. Feel free to contact us for more details at www.winepine.com

 

Patrick -

 

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Video on How We Create and Prepare Wine Crate Panels

Wine Crate Design Pictures (Cote of Arms)

There are many ancient designs on original wine crates and boxes. All have a unique meaning, and some date back thousands of years. Below are some of the more highly detailed Cote of Arms artwork pieces:

Chateau Latour:

Chateau Mouton Rothschild

Chateau Petrus:

Comte Georges De Vogue:

Clos Labory

Chateau D'aiguilhe

Pauillac

Domaine De Marcoux

Le Dame De Montrose

Lisini

Les Vins IDS

Domaine De La Barroche

Chateau Bourgneuf

Clos Des Papes 

Emigre from Australia

For more, visit www.winepine.com

5 Misconceptions About Wine Crates

1. Any type of bottle fits in a wine crate

Unfortunately this is not the case. There are several different bottle sizes including: Standard single bottle (750 ML), magnum sized bottles (1500 ML) and half-bottles (375 ML). Except for Bordeaux (which usually has the same-sized bottle style), most wineries change the way their bottles’ look from time to time. Some bottles have a wider base, longer neck etc. This may affect which type of crate they’ll fit into.

2.  Can’t I go to a liquor store to get wine crates?

Only the most expensive wines are packaged in a wooden wine crate. Most wine or liquor stores that purchase a full case of wine usually keep the crate. They use the crate for decorative displays or to store they’re wines. If you get lucky and a liquor store has one it’s usually damaged or unusable.

3. Every winery makes wine crates

Not true. Wine crates are expensive to make. Only the top 5% of all wineries package they’re wines in crates. The bottles would need to have a high enough cost to justify the need for additional expense and protection.

4. Wineries that package their wines in crates make a lot of them:

Most wine crates are French, and premier French wineries produce approx.  9,000 – 20,000 cases per year (1 case = 1 crate of 12 bottles). This means that the best French wineries produce 20,000 wine crates at most. You would think a lot of these are shipped to the US. Surprisingly, half stays in France. This leaves the other half to be distributed outside of France.

 

Approx. 20% of all French wine production comes into the United States. The major wine buyers purchase most of that before the wines are even released, so they’re the ones getting all the wine crates.

5. Who’s getting all the wine crates?

Private wine collectors and companies that hold high-end wines as an investment. A lot of French wines are meant to be “put down” for 10 – 15 years until they mature. Once they mature the value usually goes up a great deal.

There's also a new market opening up to fine wine: China. 

China may eclipse the US in French wine buying before the end of the decade. 

Soon, they're the ones who'll be getting all the wine crates.

Patrick

www.winepine.com

Guide of Original 6 Bottle Wine Boxes

Three 6 bottle wine boxes with lids and inserts (The inserts are removable, made of cardboard and shaped like bottles)

Average dimensions: 13" L X 11" W X 7" H

The above is from Campo Eliseo, which is a Spanish vineyard in the region of Toro. The front side of the box is the longest part. This is the 13" side. Most 6 bottle wine boxes are branded on this side.

Where do they come from? 

6 Bottle wine boxes are generally made by wineries in Napa Valley, Italy and Spain, but some French wineries; especially in Burgundy make them as well. Very few come out of Bordeaux.

What bottle sizes do they hold?

Most hold 750ML sized bottles. The only other type of 6 bottle wine box holds magnum sized bottles, and ironically most of these sized wine boxes are made in Bordeaux.

They aren't half the size of a 12 bottle crate, which is an unusual fact. A 12 bottle wine crate averages         19 1/2" L X 13" W X 7" H. The average 6 bottle wine box is around seven inches smaller. This is because the sides of a 6 bottle add space to the crate, and the bottle lengths don't change. So a 12 bottle isn't really substantially larger than a 6 bottle.

What are they used for? (Beside wine of course)

Shelving units in a wine cellar, kitchen cabinets, small planters, wine cellar or bedroom end tables, CD or book storage and much more. They are very strong and durable, and they are designed to hold a good deal of weight,

What are they made of?

They're generally made of solid pine, but a handful are made with ply. The average wood thickness is 1/2", but some may be slightly thinner or thicker. We inspect and prepare them all to a nice smooth-to-the-touch texture. The first coat of any style finish is ready out of the box (No pun intended).

What kind of finish can I use on them?

Any wood finish works well. Semi-gloss or high-gloss polyurethane tends to make them look like glass. A wood stain comes in a variety of colors, and you can make them look very different. Below is a great example:

Isn't this gorgeous? Yes, those are actual wine boxes that were stained to a deep walnut finish. The kitchen floors are marble, and the cabinets are all wine boxes.

Where can I get them?

Visit www.winepine.com and ask to speak with Patrick!

9 Questions We Get Asked Regularly

1. Do you ship internationally?

Yes and no. We ship to Canada frequently, and sometimes Mexico. Everywhere else is very expensive to ship to. We have no problem shipping internationally, but it's a large shipping cost to our clients.

For instance: We get a great deal of potential clients from Australia. On average it costs approx $50 per pound to ship to Australia from NY. Alot of times shipping is more expensive than the wine crate itself!

2. How many wine crate panels does it take to cover my wall?

Approx. 2 panels covers one square foot. This is a tried-and-true system we came up with several years We generally do reduce that number for large orders to prevent any overages. ago. Wine panels do vary in size, but this sizing strategy generally works very well. 

As an example: Your wall is 10 feet long by 10 feet wide. 

10 X 10 = 100 square feet

You'd need approx 200 panels to cover the wall, but if you called me I would recommend that we go with 175 to be on the safe side. Worst case we can rush out any additional panels that may be needed to complete the project.

3. Where are you located?

We have two locations: One in Rye NY and the other is in Portchester NY. They happen to be 5 minutes away from one another!

4. How do you ship?

Most orders ship through FedEx. They're great for large heavy pieces, and FedEx offers us excellent discounts based on the amount we ship. We pass these discounts to our clients. For very large orders we work with a commercial freight company that has cost-effective options based on where we ship. Large orders (50+ crates) are shipped on pallets.

5. How did you come up with this business?

We started as 3 partners who had a fondness for wine. One of the partners was working at an exclusive wine company and had access to lots of wine crates. The 3 of us met at various wine tastings and became friends. One day we were talking about how interesting and unique some of the designs on wine crates were, and an idea was born.

6. What kind of selections do you offer?

We usually have thousands of crates on hand, but our inventory shifts daily. Because wine crates are very unique, and alot of selections are based on variable factors (the season, wine futures and timing of when vintages are released etc.) It's extremely difficult for us to create a list of our stock on a regular basis. We do our best to fulfill orders of specific pieces though.

7. Do you personalize wine crates?

We personalize wine crates that are custom-made for you. We're unable to customize original wine crates because they already have a logo on them.

8. What can you personalize on a wine box or crate?

Our custom work is done through laser engraving. Just about any type of logo, monogram, artwork or design can be engraved on your wine crate. Generally photos don't work very well, but we've had success with them. The conditions need to be right however (All white backround, professional lighting etc.)

9. What's the process for custom wine crates and boxes?

The first thing we do is find out which sized wine crate, box or case your interested in. We then request an EPS formatted image. EPS allows us to re-size the image without losing resolution. JPEG and MPEG images are static and can't be effectively re-sized. Once we engrave your design on wood we send you a picture of it. Once it's approved we move forward on the crate.

For more details visit us at www.winepine.com

Patrick -

Guest Post: Wine Cellar Innovations - Once Upon a Pine

Once Upon A Pine

We’re familiar with pine trees and such but how familiar are we with its commercial uses? We may not be aware of this, but Pine is actually one of most commercially important wood species. Specifically, it is classified as softwood and is most notable for its role during the Christmas season. But Christmas trees notwithstanding, Pine has quite a reputation with high-value carpentry items such as furniture, window frames, paneling, floors and roofing. But for today, we’re going to explore another significant commercial use of Pine, particularly in relation to wine and wine cellars.

One of the best wine storage solutions…

Now when it comes to wines, any connoisseur would tell you that every bottle should be kept in a most secured form of wine storage. Otherwise, you will not be able to maintain the wine’s peak taste. In addition, if you’re planning to transport wine bottles, you have to ensure that they are stored in a completely safe packaging. Wooden wine crates or boxes seem to be the most popular choice when it comes to this. Basically, you need to ensure that these crates or boxes are sturdy enough to hold those heavy wine bottles and keep them from breaking especially during long travels.
Wineries that manufacture expensive vintages are especially careful about the kind of wine crates or boxes they use for their high value bottles. If you need to make a shipment, it’s your responsibility after all to make sure that the products reach their destination safe and sound. Something as delicate as a wine bottle has to be accounted for accordingly. This is where Pine wine crates or boxes are most convenient. Pine is highly durable yet easy to manufacture compared to hardwood species. Wine crates or boxes crafted from Pine are easily sturdy and resistant against warping, shrinking, or checking. In addition, the different varieties of this wood specie offer so many options in terms of color and grain pattern for an attractive, custom appearance.

…from wine crates and boxes to wine cellars!

Wine crates and boxes notwithstanding, Pine is also an excellent wood choice for other custom wine cellar products. A good example would be original wooden wine panels and of course, wine racks for custom wine cellars. One of the varieties of this wood that is considered as one of the top choices for custom wine cellars is Rustic Pine. True to its namesake, Rustic Pine is defined by a soft, creamy color enhanced by subtle streaks and structurally sound knots. The effect is a rustic appearance for crates, boxes, panels, racks, and furniture.

The supply of Pine in general is huge and Rustic Pine is no exception. Thus, this is one wood choice than can provide the best value by price per bottle. Because it’s a knotty grade of wood, Rustic Pine can give a bigger yield at a contrastingly lower cost compared to a clear grade of wood. Moreover, Pine in general caries a wide variety of grain patterns that show up particularly well with the right stains and finishes. Grain patterns in Rustic Pine seem to be better accentuated by darker stain and finish options than natural ones. When you wish to have a wine or wine cellar product customized, having Pine as a wood choice is definitely a sound one.

And of course, un-harvested Pine is just naturally beautiful. Parks, gardens, and other scenic spots usually carry Pine trees by the dozen. The fragrance of the wood is also a memory worth keeping. There is this quote “The pine stays green in winter; wisdom in hardship.” Indeed, out of all the wood species, Pine has proven itself to be one of the most enduring throughout the changing seasons. For our wines and wine cellars, strength, stability, and beauty in keeping every bottle at its best taste condition can all be told in a single tale of once upon a Pine.

www.winecellarinnovations.com