Daydream Relivers

Hannibal Lecter isn't the only one who enjoys "a nice chianti."

What can please the palate, stimulate the imagination and dance happily over your tongue?

The com-plex intensity of wine, of course. With Americans spending an estimated $17.1 billion on it in 1998 alone, the popularity of wine has provoked many a marketing strategy.

"Since consumer interest in wine has picked up in recent years, other luxury products associated with the `wine lifestyle' have gotten a bit of a boon," says Abigail Sawyer, editor-in-chief of Wine Business Monthly magazine.

Paraphernalia like ingenious corkscrews, elaborate storage aids and decorative wine bags, tags and ribbons are tempting savvy connoisseurs. Even food manufacturers have infused wine into items like biscuits, chocolate sauces and jellies. Indeed, as savvy marketers are finding out, this glass is clearly more than half full.

This article was originally published in the November 1999 print edition of Entrepreneur with the headline: Daydream Relivers.