Diane and Chet Bassetti, a wine-loving entrepreneurial couple from Reno, were inspired to bring a bit of the California wine country into their own home by creating a wine rack from a wine barrel. Now they're making these unique and functional decorator items available to everyone who wants to store their wine with flair -- while repurposing the barrels that helped give birth to the wine.
Chet Bassetti was a wine-loving inventor with an inspiration when
he dreamed up the idea of creating a wine rack from a wine barrel. The
retired engineer also was a perfectionist, working tirelessly on a
design that would be beautiful as well as ideal for the barrel’s round
shape. Chet Bassetti and his wife, Diane Bassetti, two years ago formed
The Barrel Rack to create and market their racks manufactured from
barrels for home builders, designers, remodelers and wine shops. Now,
in perfect step with the times, they have built a better rack: an
eco-friendly barrel rack that uses recycled, rather than new barrels.
“Our customers love the idea of having a piece of the wine country
as a part of their home décor, evoking the ambience of a wine cellar
wherever they place the Barrel Rack,” said Chet Bassetti. “This is a
wine storage system that becomes a focal point, rather than being
hidden away,” Diane Bassetti added.
While using manufacturers of new barrels for the Barrel Rack’s
products for the past two years, the Bassettis have been on a quest to
find suppliers of used barrels which could be rescued for a higher
purpose. More than 200,000 wine barrels are retired – junked or burned
– every year, a sad end for these beautiful creations. Chet Bassetti
worked on overcoming slight barrel size variations to assure that each
of the two Barrel Rack sizes – one-third (11 inches deep) and one-half
barrel (17 inches deep) – would cradle 18 and 36 bottles, respectively.
“We’ve enhanced the patina of the barrels with a rich wood staining
process that also protects them from cracking, drying, shrinking or
expanding, and we use a copper-finishing process to intensify the
colors of the metal hoops,” said Chet Bassetti. The innovative Barrel
Rack design allows bottles to be easily slid in and out.
The Barrel Racks from recycled barrels also are priced
advantageously lower than those previously made from new barrels. At
$327 for the one-third barrel and $397 for the one-half barrel size,
they are attractive as unique decorator accents while being a valuable
addition for any wine aficionado. The Barrel Rack can accommodate
custom orders for combinations of sizes as well as accessories to
finish the wine country feel, including grape clusters and twig
garlands. For more information, to view the photo gallery or to order,
visit http://www.thebarrelrack.com, email customercare(at)thebarrelrack(dot)com or call 775-622-1363.
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