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3 4 | t h e c l e v e r r o o t HOT PROPERTY THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE about Kimberly Walker is her bright smile. This warm and inviting grin instantly makes you feel welcome, like you're a part of an inside joke. It was this same grin Walker was frantically trying to salvage in a tiny bathroom of an Italian eatery in 2006, after polishing off a bottle of inky Di Fronzo Single Estate Syrah with her handsome date. "I tried removing the stain with a paper towel at first, then water and soap," says Walker. "That was pretty much rock bottom. Have you ever tried cleaning teeth with hand soap? Not a good idea." While a fan of white wines, Walker thought there had to be a way to enjoy reds but not look like an un-kissable goof with purple teeth. Walk- er assumed there was a wipe she dreamed of on the market, one that removed wine stains but didn't affect the palate. Finding none, she set up shop in her kitchen in the heart of the California Central Coast wine region, San Luis Obispo. "I didn't have much money, so I researched online, using ingredients like baking soda, hy- drogen peroxide and salt," says Walker. "Remov- ing red wine stains isn't easy, so it took months of testing until something worked that wasn't going to rip off the enamel. I just asked people to come over, drink a bunch a red wine and try it. The ingredients were all-natural, so I knew they weren't going to kill anyone. The hardest part was creating something that didn't interfere with the taste of wine. Testing it with somms and dentists came next. Needless to say, it was a pretty boozy process for all my volunteers." After dialing in the recipe she launched Wine Wipes and her umbrella company, Crafted by Borracha (which means "drunk" in Spanish), and now also produces Pearly Wipes, which removes everyday stains like coffee and green juice, while freshening breath. Since selling her first batch of Wine Wipes in 2008, her product has been embraced by not just the beauty world, but sommeliers and wine enthusiasts who want to look their best when drinking Barolo or steakhouse Cabs. It's been profiled in magazines the world over, featured on the Today Show and Dr. Oz, and sales keep increasing. And while Wine Wipes may sound like a typi- cal success story, what's interesting is Walker's vision and grit is a pure embodiment of cowboy spirit currently fueling her local wine scene. Shouldered between Los Angeles and San Fran- cisco, there is an explosion of young innovative winemakers—many of whom Walker considers friends—in the Central Coast who know they're not Napa. And they don't want to be. Instead, they're growing and making highly personal wines that are true to Paso Robles, Santa Bar- bara County, Monterey and the Edna Valley. They are learned and clever cowboys who relish their roots and underdog status and are blazing their own trail. In a move that epitomizes this entrepreneur- ial, template-free spirit electrifying the Central Coast, Walker's next big idea was to save the then-ailing Granada property in San Luis Obispo. And Walker's empire is growing. Just last year, she renovated an old 1950s-style filling station down the road from the Granada, con- verting it into one of California's hippest wine bars, aptly called The Station. Her sights are now set on Los Alamos, where's she's retrofitting an Eisenhower-era hotel into yet another must-visit, Instagram- ready destination. Echoing the local winemakers she hosts at the Granada Bistro and The Station, Walker says she's just trying to stay true to the region's roots, while creating new things that comple- ment a fun and fulfilling life. KIMBERLY WALKER, FOUNDER OF WINE WIPES AND THE GRANADA HOTEL & BISTRO, IS BLAZING HER OWN STYLISH PATH AND TRANSFORMING SAN LUIS OBISPO INTO ONE OF AMERICA'S HIPPEST CITIES by Mike Dawson / photo by Jeremy Ball The Queen of Central Coast Cool Kimberly Walker, founder of Wine Wipes and proprietor of the Granada Hotel & Bistro in San Luis Obispo, CA. ■cr PHOTO: JEREMY BALL