It is not uncommon to go to a fine restaurant and order a nice bottle of wine to accompany a meal. More often than not, a couple will not finish this wine and are given the option of taking the remainder home. But most all states have laws on the books that will ticket a driver if an open container of alcohol is inside the vehicle. The laws can be confusing and vary from state to state making it hard for those who may be away from home to know exactly what they should do with that unfinished bottle of wine.
In most states if the open container is where the driver and passengers can reach it than there is a violation of the law. This means that the trunk is a perfectly safe place to put that unfinished car ride home from the restaurant. Of course not all cars have trunks so in these situations there is no clear-cut place to put that bottle for the ride home. Each individual state will interpret a situation differently so drivers should carefully consider where they have their unfinished wine. In many situations bottles secured in wine totes that are corked can most often be defended as not being a drinking while driving violation but of course if possible the state laws should be consulted first.
a Rhino Wine Gear Blog
