Abstract
An explanation for why plans to set up business in the small village of Aniane, in the Languedoc region of France, were a failure for Mondavi, the pioneer of California's Napa Valley. Initially, everyone came out a winner. The project nevertheless ground to a halt because of an anti-Mondavi revolt. The leader of this revolt was Aime Guibert, a local wine-grower violently opposed to ''industrial wines'' and himself the producer of one of France's best wines. The interesting point of this conflict is that it reveals a type of entrepreneur that has been underestimated by entrepreneurship theory. Using the rent-seeking trend as its basis, this article highlights the characteristics of the corporatiste entrepreneur, who prefers avoiding threats to seizing opportunities.