Click and Sniff: The sweet smell of success to the wine industry.

Publication: Wines & Vines

Publication Date: 01-APR-01

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COPYRIGHT 2001 Hiaring Company

A man sits down at his computer and clicks his way onto his favorite winery's Web site. A live web-cam image allows him to see the crush in action, while his computer speakers play atmospheric theme music. He moves his mouse over the grapes as they go into the press and notices something strange. "Am I crazy," he thinks, "or can I actually smell the grapes?"

Meanwhile, a woman stops by her local wine shop to pick up a bottle of Zinfandel to serve with dinner. Torn between two different brands, she spots a kiosk in the corner that offers customers a whiff of the wines on offer. With the press of a button, she's able to sample each wine bouquet and choose between the competing Zinfandels.

These may sound like scenes from a science fiction flick (or a wine marketer's fantasy), but they're closer to reality than you may think.

While most of us were still trying to figure out how to add links to our Web sites, cutting-edge technology companies have been busy creating devices designed to add realistic...

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