Avila Beach has a new hot spot to partake of seaside sips, light fare, and spectacular sunsets thanks to Sinor Family Wines. Shuck Shack Natural Wine Bar, which started welcoming customers in late November and will celebrate its grand opening on Jan. 22, is located at 480 Front St., replacing PierFront Wine & Brew.
By the seashore
Sinor Family Wines offers two experiences in Avila Beach, Shuck Shack Natural Wine Bar at 480 Front St. and the Sinor-LaVallee and Uncommon Earth tasting room at 550 1st St., unit A. Shuck Shack is open daily from noon to 7 p.m., while the tasting room is open Thursday to Monday from noon to 6 p.m. To learn more, visit sinorlavallee.com and follow the company on Instagram @shuckshackavila and @sinorlavallee.
The leadership team of Sinor Family Wines includes Mike Sinor and Cheri LaVallee, of Arroyo Grande, who founded Sinor-LaVallee in 1997, along with their children Tomas and Esmée, who will ultimately take the reins of the company as Mike eyes semi-retirement, he said.
“Obsoletion is my goal,” he explained, though he doubts he will ever be able to step away completely, as evidenced by a recent six-hour shift in the kitchen washing dishes.
The new umbrella company of Sinor Family Wines includes the flagship Sinor-LaVallee and wholesale-focused Ocean View labels, along with Uncommon Earth, which Tomas launched in 2024.
Sinor-LaVallee and Uncommon Earth wines will continue to be poured from the company’s 1st Street location in Avila Beach, but Shuck Shack has been separated and reinvented.
“We’re so excited to move our Shuck Shack concept into a bigger venue,” Tomas said. “We love being in Avila Beach and truly see an amazing future in this city. The tasting room will now just be a tasting room, with a great but small food menu.
“Shuck Shack is for the bigger menu, … where we get to bring the foods and wine we love to drink at home, and things we have found on our travels.”
The cuisine is “bistro casual and focused on local products both in the kitchen and in the glass,” he continued.
Fresh Pacific Gold oysters from Morro Bay Oyster Company remain a focal point, with raw, baked, and Spanish-style preparations available. Other menu offerings range from tinned fish, caviar, and charcuterie to sandwiches and pizza.
The bar’s beverage lineup spotlights beer and primarily natural wines from local producers such as Scar of the Sea in San Luis Obispo and Phelan Farm in Cambria.
“Most of our imports come from France, with a few selections from Germany,” he added. “We’re looking forward to expanding the wine program, but I feel we have an amazing base.”
The Sinors will also be pouring a few of their own wines, which include Mike’s classic Burgundian- and Rhône-focused Sinor-LaVallee varietals and Tomas’ alternative Uncommon Earth wines.
“My wines are made in a more natural style—no racking, no fining, no filtering, low sulfur usage, and never using manmade yeasts,” said Tomas, who is partial to French wines, primarily from Jura.
He fell in love with the region in 2023 while working harvest in Château-Chalon for François Rousset-Martin and living in his familial home, built in the 1600s.
“This gave me my ‘aha’ moment we all strive for,” he said. “I hope to make wines similar to the region, but with the California-Sinor take. I’ve been trying to source all my grapes from my local AVA (American Viticultural Area), mostly the SLO Coast, but I am open to any vineyards in California that farm responsibly.”
Tomas only releases four Uncommon Earth wines annually, with a highly limited production of 200 cases, a fraction of Sinor Family Wines’ combined 2,500 cases. His current lineup features French and Spanish-style varietals.
He is particularly proud of his labels, which display raised geologic graphics and are a collaboration “between myself and local design legend Robbie Bruzus,” Tomas said.
“I was looking for something that speaks not only to myself, but to Gen Z as a whole—mysterious and thought-provoking,” he explained.
The end result appeals to multiple senses—visual, tactile, and, of course, gustatory.
Credit: PHOTO BY CHERISH WHYTE
Being that the Sinors are first and foremost winemakers, the goal with Shuck Shack is to provide cuisine that pairs nicely with a glass or bottle of wine as well as “establishing it as a welcoming, community-driven space that can grow organically over time,” added Esmée, who primarily handles accounting and business logistics for the company.
“As with many family businesses, I wear a lot of hats and stay closely involved in daily operations,” she added.
In her quest to continue building a broad skill set across the wine and hospitality world, she is headed to Sacred Hill Winery in the Hawke’s Bay region of New Zealand in February for three months, “which I see as an opportunity to deepen my understanding of production while bringing that experience back to our family’s projects,” she said.
Although only in their mid-20s, the siblings are highly qualified and 100 percent dedicated to “supporting what my parents have built, while helping to ensure a strong, sustainable future as the second generation becomes more involved,” she added.
Credit: PHOTO BY CHERISH WHYTE
While Mike admits that the Sinor name grants his children a leg up over fellow budding wine professionals, he stresses that their rise to co-leadership roles at the company has been earned in the school of hard knocks. Their resumes prioritize practical work experience over traditional educational channels, with Esmée—who Mike calls “the organizer” and numbers guru—training under former Talley Vineyards chief operating officer Michele Good, and Tomas—“the storyteller” and rising winemaker—working six harvests at diverse vineyards worldwide.
In the new year, Mike looks forward to some down time after 35 years in the industry, Tomas plans to release his latest Uncommon Earth wines—2025 palomino, 2024 savagnin, 2025 valdiguié, and 2025 gamay—and the team hopes to keep expanding their wholesale Ocean View brand, currently featuring Ancestrale bubbly; Vin du Soirée, a white blend; and Bistro Red, a red blend.
“As far as the Shuck Shack,” Esmée added, “we’re incredibly excited to take over this oceanfront location in Avila Beach. It’s a special space and feels like a natural fit for what we’re building.” Δ
Flavor Writer Cherish Whyte has a new favorite bar in Avila Beach. She’ll be enjoying oysters and bubbly at cwhyte@newtimesslo.com.
This article appears in Volunteers 2026.