Identity creation and cluster construction: the case of the Paso Robles wine region

Through a study of a newly recognized wine production cluster in Paso Robles, CA, this article demonstrates that in addition to the commonly accepted features of an industrial cluster, such as suppliers, skilled labor and local knowledge sharing, a hitherto largely ignored feature is identity, which, while a socially emergent feature, has economic value. The wine industry is particularly suited as an ideal type because the cluster is legally strictly circumscribed. We demonstrate how cluster identity formation is the result of internal developments and external validation. In culture goods industries such as wine, identity performs a crucial role in the cluster’s development and success, but we suggest that this can be extended to other industrial clusters that have successfully created an identity.