Rant: Don't Roast Your Wines

Would you lock your child or pet in a hot car with the windows rolled up?

I think not, as well as I seriously hope not. You understand the great danger involved in locking something precious in a confined area subject to great heat. The interior of a car can get even hotter than the temperature outside that car. Even with the windows opened a small bit, the interior of a car can still get stifling hot. However, most people confine their safety concerns to children and pets, forgetting that other items inside your car can be harmed as well.

As June begins, summer weather has already appeared, with some insanely humid days. This summer, you'll likely make plans to travel whether it is someplace local or some place that might be hundreds of miles away. You might visit a winery or farm, a specialty food shop or a distillery. At those places, you may purchase some food and drink to take home with you. For example, you might pick up several bottles of wine from a winery or a pound of cheese from that small farm. You'll then toss those items in your trunk, often forgetting that during the summer, the inside of the trunk can become a small inferno.

That heat can destroy the food and drink you want to take home with you. You might end up with a melted glob of cheese and ruined bottles of wine. You might as well have thrown away your money. And you could have prevented this tragedy quite easily with a little advance preparation.

To remedy this situation, before you leave on your travel adventure, you need to place some type of cooler, insulated bag, box or similar container in your trunk. You might also take ice packs or wait to buy ice when you get to your destination. Make sure the insulated container is larger enough to carry the usual amount of food and drink items you purchase when you are on vacation. This will prevent your purchases from being injured or even dying from the heat.

You probably should also bring a box of large ziplock bags with you, to repackage your foodstuffs when they are sitting in your insulated containers, especially if there's ice in those containers. The ziplock bags will protect the food packaging from the ice and if the foods accidentally melt, break or ooze out, they won't ruin the rest of your food.

Don't lock your wine and food in a hot car without protecting them from the heat.