Is there a way to rotate items when you grab them? I am trying to place a bottle on a table, but when you drop it it tips over. I don't want a horizontal bottle laying on a table.

Not that I've found. You just have to sort of bump them into things until they rotate around. I was able to place a globe on a desk in such a way. It seriously took me about 5 minutes of just flailing around the mouse, but that globe accents my settler's desk very nicely.