In the south, where the climate is hotter and dryer, the wine area hugs the coastline which is kept cool by the Pacific Ocean. In the northern part the wine country extends over about 300 km from the Pacific coast across the Central Valley to the legendary gold country in the foothills of the Sierras. The east-west extension of the wine area is much larger in northern California than in the south. The grape growing and wine producing area of the state extends from Mendocino in the north of San Francisco for about 650 km to Santa Barbara north of Los Angeles. Wine grapes are grown in California in 46 of California's 58 counties and about 23,4 million hl of wine have been produced in the year 2002 by close to 1,400 wineries (Wine Institute, 2004). Before we do all that it is useful to have a quick look at the spatial extension of wine growing in California (see Fig. Among the strengths of the cluster approach is its focus on relationships and the networks that result from them. Also, the cluster approach is not very clear about whether the California wine industry is better considered to be one or several clusters. We will argue that the cluster approach contributes towards explaining the profits made by wineries but that it contributes little towards the explanation of the actual location of the cluster. In particular, we are concerned with two weaknesses and three strengths. We therefore limit our discussion of the California wine industry to some remarks concerning its competitiveness and to five points that, we hope, contribute to a better appreciation of the strengths and weaknesses of the cluster approach. The industry has been described in the Wine Cluster Case study of Harvard University and Lapsley (2005) provides more about the size and activities of the industry (see also Sumner et al., 2004). What does Porter's cluster approach contribute towards understanding important aspects and issues of the California wine industry? Before we can turn to this question, we need to provide some facts about the industry, but we need not provide much. Taken together, such relationships form innovation networks and Porter (2000) considers clusters to bridge network theory and competition, and for him, "A cluster is a form of a network that occurs within a geographic location." (Porter, 2000, p. Furthermore, rather than spilling out, valuable information often is shared or traded in enduring personal or business relationships. Both, personal communication and observation require the proximity of clusters. Difficult things are often better explained in person than in writing, and the finer points of a trade or art are seldom learned fully from books but by observation and imitation. is no magic in the ways that clusters help to improve information flows. I've earned a Certificate in Wine Studies which has helped me achieve my current position as district manager for Republic National Distributing Company where I lead a team in charge of wine and spirit sales for chain stores.
After my second wine class, I became a tasting room host for Wrights Station Winery up in the Santa Cruz Mountains, and eventually, I became the lead host for Scheid Vineyards Tasting Room (Carmel By The Sea). "The Cabrillo College Wine Program has given me the tools that I needed to be successful in the wine industry.I am confident anyone interested in a very thorough education in international wines would benefit from the program offered at Cabrillo College."įounder, Destined For Grapeness Chaney Janssen I have since trained restaurant staff, hosted private wine tastings, poured at special events, and most recently created a wine education company. I pursued various professionally recognized certifications including the Wine and Spirits Educational Trust Level 3, Italian Wine Scholar, and Certified Wine Specialist. Certain classes really ignited a passion for discussing wine academically and cultivated the skillset to taste and discuss wine systematically. The in-depth courses gave me a very solid foundation. "The wine program at Cabrillo College was a great launching point for me as I entered the wine industry.
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