Lineage: Life and Love and Six Generations in California Wine
by Steven Kent Mirassou
Hardcover – June 2021

Steven Kent Mirassou Headshot

Steven Kent Mirassou received his BA in American Literature from the George Washington University and his MA in Literature from NYU. He was born in the Salinas Valley and grew up in San Jose and Los Gatos before going east to college. Lineage: Life and Love and Six Generations in California Wine is his first book.

Mirassou started his wine career in sales but found his true passion after moving into the production side of the business in 1996. Steven has made the highest rated wines from the Livermore Valley, is a founder of the Mount Diablo Highlands Wine Quality Alliance, and the President of the Livermore Valley Wine Growers Association.

Steven has four adult children, April Coffey, Aidan Mirassou, Katherine Mirassou, and Sara Mirassou. He lives in Pleasanton, CA with his fiancée, Nancy Castro, and their three dogs.

The Truth About Wine

  • Wine IS simple. But only if that’s what you want from it.
  • Wine IS complicated. But only if you want it to be.
  • The Fountain of Youth was filled with wine.
  • Great wine ought to reflect the philosophy of the winemaker.
  • Scores are meaningless for 99.9999% of us. How do you put a number to the stuff you were drinking when she said yes?
  • If the winemaker is doing it right, he butts the hell out…until (and if) he’s really needed.
  • Like Hamlet, wine is bottomless. There is always something more to learn about the great ones.
  • Biodynamics may be a hoax. Or…it may be the best way so far to represent a proper relationship between farmer and earth.    
  • NOBODY knows what terroir is.
  • It’s ok to get emotional over a great glass. Wine likes that.
  • If anyone tells you you’re drinking the wrong wine, he’s trying to sell you something else.
  • Great wine changes over time. Not always for the better…but if you’re interested in the interesting then the ride is usually worth the price of admission.
  • Great Cabernet Franc is as sexy as wine gets.
  • Wine’s first responsibility is to be delicious.
  • The best wines appeal to the head, the heart, and…the loins.
Share on facebook
Share on twitter
Share on linkedin
Share on reddit
Share on email

Latest Posts:

Coming Home

I’m an emotional person, and the best of my wines are infused with the barely-contained love I feel every time I’m in the cellar. Today – rainy, gray, cold. Haven’t

Read More »