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May I make Kiddush on wine that was left uncovered?

A ruling of our sages in days gone by called for covering water and other liquids due to the danger venomous snakes posed to drinking water. These days we are generally not concerned about gilui (exposure) of drinking water or other liquids. 

However, yayin megulah (wine that was left uncovered) for a substantial amount of time should not be used for kiddush. This is because kiddush demands a higher standard of “Hakriveihu na l’pachasecha…” (If you were to offer it as a gift to your governor, would he accept you or favor you?) Whatever is not deemed chashuv (worthy) for a dignitary is not halachically fit for kiddush; wine left standing without a cork certainly loses its chashivus. 

But if the wine is left uncovered only for a sha’ah muetes (short period of time, which some poskim define as twenty minutes), ein l’hakpid kol kach (there is no need to be so strict), especially in areas where dignitaries are not particular either—unless the wine has lost its taste or smell.

At what point does uncorked wine become unfit for kiddush? Poskim differ on this: Some cite the fact that we leave our cups of wine uncovered for several hours during the Pesach seder. Others respond that the seder is one long, continuous mitzvah, and that the wine is being watched throughout; therefore, they claim, wine being drunk at the seder cannot be compared to other wine.  

On a related note, there’s a tradition quoted in the name of the Baal Shem Tov to keep the bottle of wine covered while one recites kiddush.