How Long Can Wine Sit In A Hot Car For?

The "baby on board" sign in my rear window is just an illustration of a wine bottle strapped into a car seat. But even though your soon-to-be-popped bottles may appear to be enjoying their warm weather ride-along, too much time spent in a hot car can covertly putrefy your pinot. Don't want to pour your precious cargo down the drain? If the temp tips 70 degrees Fahrenheit, don't leave your wine in the car.

While you can't exactly set your alarm for the point at which heat impacts your vino, the wine world is pretty clear on 80 degrees Fahrenheit being the red zone where your wine literally begins to "cook" itself. When it comes to flavor, some of the totally bummer hallmarks of heat damage can include wine that tastes like you simmered bland fruit in a slow cooker or cracked open a bottle of vinegar. A cork that's bulging out above the bottle mouth is another sign — this lets a little wine leak out while allowing oxygen in. And — because of that newly introduced oxygen — odd or off-colors are a distinct possibility (whites get darker, reds turn brown). Technically, drinking a glass of this tawny stew isn't going to make you sick, but your pour certainly won't be worth the stunning number of grapes it takes to make a single bottle of wine.

Parked cars heat up unbelievably fast on hot days. A manageable 80 degrees Fahrenheit can blaze into the triple digits in just 10 minutes — even with the windows cracked. You wouldn't leave a pint of chocolate chip cookie dough in there to fend for itself, so treat your cab sauv with the same respect. Got an errand to run post-wine shop? Stash those unopened roadies in your shopping bag and take them with you.

While an unopened bottle of vintage Champagne can last for decades, most wines have a much shorter shelf life — which becomes even more fleeting when they're improperly stored. So, consider this your personal PSA to never buy wine that's been feeling the heat. But before we put all the blame on grandma's hand-me-down Buick LeSabre, your car isn't the only culprit.

Before that chardonnay ever hits the checkout, it's been bottled, boxed, shrink-wrapped, shipped, and possibly left to spend hours in the sun before getting stocked. That's when the heat nestles in for the long haul and sticks around long after the wine makes it into the air conditioning. 

Your best bet in hot weather is to shop at distributors with covered shipping docks, where the bottles get a little extra protection from the elements. But, even with flawless shipping, wine still requires comfy temps once you finally get it home. Especially in warmer months, hot or fluctuating temperatures can really mess with your malbec. Keep wine bottles away from windows, the extra-warm top of your fridge, and other hot and stuffy spaces. Instead, store your haul in a wine cellar or cool basement — or just pop those bottles in the fridge.

Next time you shop for wine, be chill with your bottles for the best results. As a rule of thumb, 55 degrees Fahrenheit is pure perfection, but you've got about 10 degrees of leeway in either direction. And, hey, while you're out, don't forget the Doritos for your riesling.