ABSTRACT
The countryside displays a rich and mixed agricultural heritage, just far enough from the expanding suburban sprawl of nearby cities to avoid excessive property speculation. This book provides an overview of the cluster concept and then discusses the emergence of networks, how they are structured and collective resources generated. It examines how cluster governance falls under the scope of leader firms, firms with extensive resources and access to knowledge that permit them to shape the direction of cluster growth. It chronicles the various largely unsuccessful attempts to establish winemaking as a viable commercial enterprise during colonial times. It assesses how the social structure of embeddedness changes, with cooperation becoming part of a more differentiated hierarchical structure. The book examines how the industry structure has changed and consolidated around a certain pattern consistent with industry trends in general. Finally, the chapter also presents an overview of key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book.
