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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