Localist Guide: Mikey & Gina Giugni
Occupation: Winemakers
Locale: Cayucos
Winemakers by trade, tastemakers by nature. Mikey & Gina Giugni are the husband-and-wife team behind Scar of the Sea, Lady of the Sunshine, and our very own Skyview Vineyard Rosé.
Nomada first crossed paths with Mikey when he was working as a barback at the Granada Bistro. Back then, he’d bring in his homemade wines for the team to try. He’s come a long way since then, establishing Scar of the Sea in 2012 and becoming a staple on all Nomada restaurant wine lists from there on out. In 2017, Gina founded her own natural wine brand, Lady of the Sunshine, which was built on the mantra, “know your farmer.”
In 2019, Mikey & Gina were married – joining together as partners in life and in business. What they’ve built is a beautiful distillation of the things they value most – and we’re the lucky ones who get to enjoy the fruits of their labor and love for a lifetime to come.
All that to say, these two have got taste. So when it came to choosing Nomada’s first Localists, Mikey & Gina were a natural choice. Find their recommendations below.
Q & A
Q: What’s your favorite thing to do on a Sunday?
A: Garden at our vineyard in Avila Beach or take our boat for a cruise in the Morro Bay harbor.
Q: What’s a daily ritual?
A: Hot yoga at Spark studio in SLO and beach walks with our dog Bear. We love to walk on the Estero Bluffs north of Cayucos or the beaches below Studios (Bear’s favorite place to dig.)
Q: What’s your favorite local restaurant(s) and what do you order?
A: My Friend Mike’s off of Broad St [in San Luis Obispo]! We order the Pep & Peppers pizza, add Castelventrano olives and we always get 2 salads, the market crunch and kale caesar.
Q: What’s the one thing that a visitor to the area must do?
A: Play / paddle / kayak on the water in either Avila or Morro Bay, followed up with oysters at Grassy Bar (BYOB!) and a hike on one of the Seven Sisters — we love hiking Bishop Peak, extra credit for a sunrise hike.
Q: If you had to choose only 3 tasting rooms to take out-of-town friends to, what would they be?
A: Stolo in Cambria, Outward in Grover Beach, and Dunites in Downtown SLO.
Q: What are you reading or listening to these days?
A: We’re listening to Spirit of the Golden Juice by FJ McMahon on loop... reading a stack of cookbooks as we prep for harvest lunches (our recent favorite is the new Cook Book of All Time out of LA.)
Q: Fill in the blank: “I never leave on a trip without _____”
A: Our El Rancho Carpintaro straw hats!
Q: What’s your next adventure?
A: Channel Islands to dive for scallops on our blue boat named Camel.
explore the central coast like a local:
Scar of the Sea
San Luis Obispo
Lady of the Sunshine
San Luis Obispo
My Friend Mike’s Pizza
San Luis Obispo
Spark Yoga
San Luis Obispo
Bishop Peak
San Luis Obispo
Dunites Wine Co.
San Luis Obispo
Grassy Bay Oyster Co
Morro Bay
Morro Bay Harbor
Morro Bay
Estero Bluffs
Cayucos
Stolo Vineyards
Cambria
Outward Wines
Grover Beach
Localist is a series highlighting the best of the Central Coast from the people who know it most. Who would you like to hear from? Send us a message and let us know.