If I pickup wine at a local retailer today in 60 degree weather is it cooler in the trunk or the floor inside the car with the windows cracked a little?
I have to think the floor of the car with windows open.
Loren, I’ve always assumed that too but then thought I’d ask.
Leave the keys in the ignition switch, too. The breeze of the getaway will keep everything cool.
You mean to leave in the car all day, or just for the drive home? With the windows closed, the inside of the car will typically be warmer, because the IR goes through the windows and gets absorbed by the materials inside, but the IR that hits the trunk has to be conducted to the interior surface and slowly convected into the trunk air space, which is a slower process. In 60 degree weather, I would just find some shade and not worry about it at all 
Cheers
I’ve always assumed the trunk, but I know nothing.
Helpful, aren’t we?
If it’s 60 degrees as you say, what’s the worry???
Depends on the type of car too. Some trunks are pretty well insulated. My car interior was over 100 degrees and the trunk measured 70.
Same here. Yesterday I had a btl of water in my trunk and car for about 3 hours. The interior water was hot and the trunk stayed nice and cool
I truly think it depends upon how long the trip is going to be - and if you can get an insulated shipper for the wines. I would bring one along and put the wines in there - they should be good in either place for a good period of time . . .
Cheers!
I think the correct answer depends on whether you are driving to T.G.I. Friday’s or The Capital Grille. It’s way cooler to have a boxes of wine in the car when you roll up to Friday’s. The Capital Grille, not so much.
Since the sun is the culprit for driving up the cabin temp, I go for the trunk.
M. Kaplan - Lee Conklin rocks!
My purely anecdotal evidence convinces me that the trunk is much safer.
This is based on years as a vinyl record collector.
Leave a vinyl record in the car and the chances of coming back to find your record warped were pretty high.
Never had one warp in the trunk.
The windows turn the car into a solar oven, IR rays go through the windows, heat the air and then the heat gets trapped in the car.
If you place your wine in stryro shippers in the trunk, assuming the wine you picked up had been stored in a cool spot, heat is going to have a very hard time getting to your wine and raising its temperature to worrisome levels.
If it’s not sunny or if you can park in good shade, I would not worry. If it is sunny and under one or two hours and you don’t have a dark colored car and you can park with the trunk facing north, then I would put it in the trunk. If you can leave the windows open a bit and preferably partial shade, I would go for the floor of the car, preferably with blankets of coats over top.
We had a similar discussion on WLDG a few years back. I put thermometers in both trunk and backseat of my Corolla, parked in partial sun. After about 4 hours on a medium hot day (I think mid80s) car was 120F, trunk was just right at 100. Both too hot for wine to sit any length of time. I’d assume difference varies between cars- some with less insulation or split back seats that fold down would have less difference.
Right now, its sitting in the back of the car on floor shaded by the near door with all 4 windows cracked. But the car itself is in full sun. But there is breeze. I’t be there for a bout 2 hours now. Temp outisde is 63.
When wine tasting, I bring a cooler with a zip lock bag of ice in it and just pile the bottles in there. Keeps it at cellar temperature for days.
If your car is in the sun- then the trunk.
If I do this I use one of those insulated bags
with a ger frozen bag inside - stays nice & cool
It did get warm today!
Cheers
Rip
Car paint color has to make a difference, too, right? A black car will absorb more solar heat than a white car, won’t it?
I’m glad this post came up, guys, because coincidentally I am planning a long weekend getaway to Niagara wine country up here in Ontario and the exact same topic came up – we have no idea if we should leave the wine in the back seat or the trunk.
I do like the idea of ziplocs filled with ice more than freezer packs because ziploc bags with ice would be more flexible i.e. I could roll one up and stuff them into a middle slot in the wine box to keep the rest cool. Then I could refill them with the hotel’s ice machine at night. Great idea, guys, thanks.