Abstract

The model of large estate and oligarchical landowners devoted to primary production was the predominant, but not the only one in colonial Latin America. This model coexisted with other models of production, like the wine industry, which was characterized by small property, intensive agriculture for the industry, strong social mobility, and the growth of an incipient middle class. This study shows the degrees of complexity of the wine industry measured by an indicator: the capacity to produce wine biologically, which is a very complex method based on specialized knowledge and technologies. The development of the capacity to produce wine biologically depended on social, cultural and economic factors. © 2007 by the University of Texas Press.