NORBERT MIRASSOU - scmwine/Wineries GitHub Wiki

Norbert C. Mirassou

Norbert C. Mirassou (1910-1996) was a fourth-generation Mirassou family member whose 1986 oral history documented the evolution of the family's Santa Clara Valley winery from its 1854 Pellier origins through Prohibition and into the modern era.

Family Position

Field Details
Birth circa 1910
Death 1996
Generation Fourth generation of Pellier-Mirassou line
Role Family winemaker and historian
Oral History Recorded 1986

Norbert represented the fourth generation in the Pellier-Mirassou lineage:

  1. First generation (1854): Louis and Pierre Pellier establish nursery and vineyards
  2. Second generation (1881): Pierre Mirassou marries Henriette Pellier, inherits estate
  3. Third generation: Continued family operation
  4. Fourth generation (1930-1996): Norbert C. Mirassou and his brother Edmund A. Mirassou

The 1986 Oral History

Norbert C. Mirassou, along with his brother Edmund A. Mirassou, participated in a detailed oral history project in 1986 titled:

"The Evolution of a Santa Clara Valley Winery"

This oral history is critically important for documenting:

  • The Pellier-to-Mirassou family transmission (1854-1881)
  • Winery operations during Prohibition
  • The "lost middle" period (1930-1960) when most valley wineries closed
  • Family strategies for surviving economic challenges
  • The transition to modern commercial winemaking
  • Institutional memory spanning 130+ years

The oral history is archived at:

  • Internet Archive (digitized)
  • Regional California wine history collections

Historical Value

Norbert's oral history provides first-hand testimony about:

  • How the family maintained vineyards through Prohibition
  • The role of sacramental wine production
  • Grape sales to home winemakers during Prohibition
  • Post-Repeal revival challenges
  • The changing Santa Clara Valley wine landscape
  • Family winemaking traditions passed down through generations

This represents one of the few documented continuity voices from the lost middle period.

Legacy

Norbert C. Mirassou's contribution:

  • Preserved family history that might otherwise have been lost
  • Documented continuity strategies that sustained valley wine
  • Provided institutional memory spanning 130+ years
  • Connected pioneer era to modern revival through personal testimony

Historical Significance

Norbert represents:

  • Living links to the pioneer era through family transmission
  • Oral history preservation of California wine culture
  • Fourth-generation continuity in family winemaking
  • The importance of family historians in preserving viticultural knowledge

Related Entries

Sources

  • "The Evolution of a Santa Clara Valley Winery" oral history (1986)
  • Internet Archive: evolutionsanta00mirarich
  • OpenLibrary: The evolution of a Santa Clara Valley winery
  • Santa Clara Valley wine history archives

See Also