In various styles and forms, kitchen carts have been a valuable part of kitchens for several centuries now.

In the early days, family cooks used these carts as additional preparation space. This was particularly important in homes of the time, which didn't often have large counter spaces. Even though families were bigger, mom usually prepared all the meals.

Kitchen carts provided the space needed without having to remodel the kitchen or commit more space in the home to food preparation. After all, bedrooms and play spaces were at a premium in the smaller homes owned by American families in the 20th century.

Kitchen carts can take many forms, but one of the most versatile and useful are kitchen carts with wine racks. The racks are built right into the design of the cart, allowing you to have ready access to wine for cooking, sharing and drinking. Kitchen carts with wine racks allow you to always be at the ready with a delightful glass of wine for your guests. Usually, these kitchen carts with wine racks even have a thoughtful drawer for wine openers, bottle openers and other service accessories.

Some kitchen carts with wine racks have space below for the wine while others have wire racks that free up the cabinet area for other cookware. Some even have racks that hold wine glasses.

Of course, kitchen carts with wine racks wouldn't be of too much use without a large prep space for cooking, serving and beverage service. This is where kitchen carts with wine racks really excel. Depending on the model, you can find carts with marble, woodblock, laminate, stainless steel or Corian tops, ensuring that you won't damage the surface as you chop vegetables, slice fruits or carve meats.

When shopping for kitchen carts with wine racks for your home, it's best to decide what you need in the way of a cart first. In other words, do you want it to have a large prep space or do you want to trade off space for other additions, such as a small microwave? Do you want to store a large number of wine bottles or just a few at the time? Do you want to have spices handy while you prepare meals? If so, you may want to make sure the cart has a spice rack. A towel bar can also come in handy.

When it comes to prep space, you can opt to purchase kitchen carts with wine racks that have hinged side tables that flip up flush with the rest of the top when extra space is needed. Again, it's really up to you to decide.

One of the final decisions to make is where your kitchen carts with wine racks will be located. If you only plan to use your kitchen carts with wine racks in the kitchen, then you want to find a model that matches that room's décor. However, if you plan to use it as a service cart as well, you may want to find a model that works equally well in the dining room as well as the kitchen, so it doesn't look out of place in either.