PSA – Don’t Leave Stuff in Hot Cars

Hi All – I hope you had a great weekend. It was hot in the Dallas/Fort Worth area this past weekend. This was a good reminder to me, and should be to everyone, that cars get very hot. Nothing should remain in a hot car for any length of time…period. A couple of years ago, I was going to celebrate my friend, Amy’s, birthday and I picked up a nice bottle of St. Supery Cabernet Sauvignon as a gift to her. It was a surprise party, so another friend and I took her to a day out while her husband, Brad, prepped for her surprise party. The bottle of wine remained in my car…all afternoon. Rookie mistake! We got her back to their house where the party was. I pulled the bottle, in a gift bag, out of the car and headed into the party. I would say I’m normally very aware of my surroundings, but, for some reason, would have missed a wine-soaked, fire-breathing dragon flying out of the bag that day. She began to open the presents later and found the wine gift bag and happily guessed what it might be. Amy pulled the bottle of wine out of the bag, found that the cork was partially pushed out, and a third of the bottle of wine was gone. I like a good practical joke, but I never joke with wine. If you leave wine in a hot car, the wine can heat up and expand in the bottle, break the seal, and then push out the cork. You don’t want to drink that wine as it can become contaminated by chemicals or bacteria. Even if the cork isn’t pushed out, the wine can become contaminated so don’t drink it. If you are going to put a bottle of wine in a hot car for any amount of time, just ensure it is put on ice and is kept cool. Consider this a PSA…hot cars are not for storage of people, pets, food, or wine. On that note, have a great week!