Wine - Cooler

In a Seattle Times Q and A today had a great bit of advice on traveling with wine in tow. Bring a cooler! I know, I know . . . it sound's simple. But it's also something that most people don't think to do. The specific question answered by the Times wine writer deals with transporting a case of wine back from wine country in the middle of summer. Here's the complete answer:

"You are right to be concerned about the potential damage to wine from sitting in a hot car. Even a few hours on a warm summer day can cook the wine if it's left unprotected. And if the temperatures are pushing 100 degrees outside, the interior of your car can be even warmer. If at all possible, I would suggest that you organize your day trips so that you can retrace your steps on the way back to your lodging. That way, you can ask the wineries you visit to hold your purchases until you are on your way home at the end of the day.

If you must take the wine immediately, it would be well worthwhile to purchase an inexpensive cooler and stock it with freezer packs. Keep the wines in it until you get back to the hotel. At the very least I always turn up the air conditioning to cool the car down and leave windows and sunroof cracked to allow for some air circulation while I'm parked. Cover the wines with some sort of insulating blanket to help them stay cool. And don't linger more than a half-hour without firing up the air conditioner!"