I would recommend a soft gray...see photo below...

Yes they do have similar styles in porcelain, but to me it doesn't look the same. Search around that site and see if any of the other tile designs in other materials strike your fancy. I know you said you don't like the subway, but you could get a glass tile in a 2X8 and lay it in a herringbone or find shorter ones and do a chevron. Don't know if you care for mosaics, or penny rounds, those would also look nice. You are going to have to narrow it down to a look you are drawn to, and then go from there. Search kitchen backsplashes on here to get some ideas as well.

I'd put in a tile backsplash. Stick with a solid color tile so your bottles won't get visually lost. Solid color doesn't have to be boring, look for interesting shapes or textures, and play around with different colors of grout to make a statement. The one in your picture looks very similar to the 2nd picture below.

I have. I have gone for beige walls and beige quartz countertop. my kitchen will get ready in a week's time. I shall then post pictures and seek feedback from the experts on houzz.com.