The pop of a cork, a swirl in the glass; it’s wine the way it’s meant to be enjoyed but a new study out of UC Davis says don’t wait too long to drink it, especially if yours comes in a “Golden Girls”-style box.

“Boxed wines are made for immediate consumption, they’re not made for putting them away for decades,” said Helene Hopfer, Ph.D., a researcher at UC Davis. She says don’t let the marketing on the side of the box fool you – keep your wine cool and don’t keep it long.

“If you store them at 105 degrees Fahrenheit or 40 degrees Celsius,  they really get nasty,” Hopfer said.

If you add just a little heat, that cheap buzz can turn to moonshine or worse, quickly.

“They get from transparent, slightly green-yellow — they get to nasty brown and dark. You don’t want to drink it,” Hopfer told FOX40.

The wines at UCD were studied after three months of storage, but the same holds true for the beautiful California zinfandels produced at m2 Wines in Lodi.