Devin Nunes opening a wine tasting room in downtown Pismo Beach was not on my 2026 bingo card.

But that is exactly what has happened.

The former Central Valley congressman and one of Donald Trump’s most recognizable political allies has opened Nunes Wine Company at 880 Price Street in downtown Pismo Beach.

And while the political connection is probably what will get everyone’s attention, I think the more interesting story for those of us who live on the Central Coast is where Nunes decided to open it.

He chose Pismo Beach.

From Congress to the Central Coast

Nunes represented portions of Fresno and Tulare counties in Congress for nearly two decades, serving from 2003 until his resignation at the end of 2021.

He became a nationally known figure during Trump’s first term, particularly while serving as chairman of the House Intelligence Committee. He was also a member of Trump’s 2016 presidential transition team and became one of Trump’s most outspoken allies in Congress.

One clarification that’s worth making: Nunes was not a member of Trump’s Cabinet, although his close association with Trump sometimes leads to him being described that way.

After leaving Congress, Nunes became CEO of Trump Media & Technology Group, the company behind Truth Social. He left that position in April 2026.

Now his next chapter apparently involves considerably more Cabernet.

Nunes Wine Company opened its Pismo Beach tasting room over the July Fourth weekend, according to reporting by SFGATE. The company specializes in Portuguese and Bordeaux varietals.

For anyone familiar with Nunes’ background, the wine business isn’t quite as random as it initially sounds.

Nunes grew up in a Portuguese-American farming family in California’s San Joaquin Valley. His grandfather reportedly grew grapes, and Nunes has been involved financially with wineries going back roughly two decades. He launched his own wine label in 2023.

So this isn’t simply a retired politician deciding one afternoon that owning a wine bar sounds fun.

There is some history behind it.

There’s Also a Familiar Central Coast Name Involved

Nunes is working with longtime Central Coast winemaker Mike Sinor.

That’s an interesting local connection.

Sinor is well established in the San Luis Obispo County wine community and is behind Sinor-LaVallee, which operates a tasting room in Avila Beach.

The partnership gives Nunes Wine Company an actual connection to the Central Coast wine industry beyond its new Price Street address.

And the company isn’t hiding Nunes’ involvement.

Quite the opposite.

NUNES is prominently displayed across the wine labels. Whatever someone thinks of his political career, his name is clearly part of the brand.

Why Pismo?

This is the part that caught my attention.

Nunes spent most of his political career representing communities in the Central Valley. If he wanted to open a tasting room connected to his agricultural roots, Fresno or Tulare County would have been the obvious choice.

Instead, he came to downtown Pismo Beach.

And he didn’t exactly choose an isolated location.

Nunes Wine Company is at 880 Price Street.

Right next door at 870 Price Street is Sans Liege Wines, an established Central Coast tasting room specializing in Rhône varietals.

Walk a little farther and you’ll find Tastes of the Valleys at 911 Price Street. Head the other direction and there’s Puffer’s of Pismo at 781 Price Street.

In other words, Nunes didn’t just open a tasting room in Pismo.

He opened in the middle of an existing downtown wine and hospitality corridor.

Pismo Is Changing

That may be the bigger local story.

Pismo will probably always be associated with the pier, the beach, clam chowder, surf shops and families walking around downtown with cinnamon rolls.

But there’s another version of Pismo developing alongside it.

Wine tasting rooms. Boutique restaurants. Cocktail bars. Higher-end hotels. Resorts. Visitor experiences.

And quite a bit of money continues flowing into the area.

Visit SLO CAL recently highlighted more than 30 new hotels, restaurants, wineries, attractions and other hospitality-related openings announced or opened around San Luis Obispo County since January.

Pismo is part of that growth.

A new 170-room Pacific Point Resort opened this summer after a major redevelopment of the former Pismo Lighthouse Suites and Shore Cliff Hotel properties.

There are also new restaurants, coffee shops and other hospitality businesses appearing around the community.

Nunes Wine Company wasn’t even included in Visit SLO CAL’s June list of new openings, which gives you some idea of just how quickly things are moving.

Is That Good or Bad?

Probably a little of both, depending on who you ask.

Tourism is obviously a huge part of the economy here. Visitors support restaurants, hotels, wineries, shops and a lot of local jobs.

At the same time, I think people who have lived in San Luis Obispo County for a long time are noticing something else.

More and more businesses seem specifically designed around the visitor economy.

I don’t necessarily think that’s bad. A successful new tasting room is certainly better than another empty storefront.

But I do wonder where the balance eventually lands.

How much of downtown Pismo should be designed around the people who live here, and how much should be designed around the people spending a weekend here?

That’s a much bigger question than Devin Nunes and his wine company.

His new tasting room just happens to be another interesting example of it.

And Then There’s the Politics

Of course, this particular tasting room is going to generate more conversation than most.

Nunes remains a polarizing political figure.

Some people will probably walk into the tasting room specifically because they recognize his name and like him.

Others may avoid it for exactly the same reason.

And plenty of people may simply want to know whether the wine is any good.

That’s one of the unusual things about turning a political identity into a consumer brand. The name on the bottle arrives with a lot more baggage than your typical Central Coast Cabernet.

But businesses ultimately have to survive on something other than political recognition.

People have to walk through the door.

They have to enjoy themselves.

And presumably, they have to like the wine enough to come back.

Another Unexpected Chapter for Pismo

Whatever your politics, it’s a pretty unusual Central Coast story.

A dairy-farming kid from Tulare County becomes a congressman.

The congressman becomes chairman of the House Intelligence Committee.

He becomes one of Donald Trump’s closest congressional allies.

He leaves Congress to run Trump’s social media company.

Then he leaves that job.

And a few months later, he’s pouring Portuguese-style wine on Price Street in Pismo Beach.

You really couldn’t make up the career path.

Nunes Wine Company is now open at 880 Price Street in downtown Pismo Beach.

We’ll be interested to see whether it becomes another lasting part of Pismo’s increasingly wine-oriented downtown, or simply one of the more unusual new businesses to arrive on the Central Coast this year.

Either way, I have a feeling people are going to have opinions about this one.