Uma Chigurupati reveals the secret behind creating one of the world’s best wines in India
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RIDDHI DOSHI- 18 minutes read
Pooja Patel
When Hyderabad-based couple Krishna Prasad Chigurupati and Uma Chigurupati bought a piece of plot in 2008 in Hampi, they hadn’t envisioned a winemaking business that would be recognised on an international platform.
Bought solely out of love and passion for wine, the Chigurupatis co-founded KRSMA Estates and released the first batch of wine in 2013.
Earlier this month, their vineyard made it to the World’s 50 Best Vineyards List (2020), a list based on the most amazing vineyard experiences, albeit the best places to taste superb wines, to learn about winemaking procedure and know about grape-growing practices. The jury for this list were over 40 wine connoisseurs from across the world.
The estate offers Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah and Sauvignon Blanc, which are known for their rich flavour and its premium quality.
Chigurupatis wear many hats. Krishna is the Chairman & Managing Director and Uma is the Executive Director of their Hyderabad-based pharmaceutical company, Granules India Limited.
They have been marathoners and even found a place in the Guinness Book of records. They have run marathons in few of the toughest terrains like under the searing heat of Mongolia’s Gobi desert, on Ayers Rock, a sandstone monolith in Australia and in the grasslands of Kenya.
They made their first Guinness record in 2011 for being the first married couple to run two marathons in the North Pole and Antarctica. The second record was set in 2015 when they ran seven half marathons in seven continents within seven days!
In a telephonic interview with LuxeBook, Uma Chigurupati tells us how this award has brought positivity and recognition, which is extremely important in these tough times.
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How does it feel to have won this prestigious award?
It is always a feel-good factor when hard work gets some sort of recognition, especially internationally. Our goal is to be on the wine map of the world and so this is a great feeling.
You two are based in Hyderabad, while the vineyard is in Hampi. What is the reason that you chose a plot for the vineyard so far away from home?
Prasad (Krishna) has been a wine connoisseur for a long time. He has been into winemaking from the age of 17. He always wanted to pursue his passion for wine. In fact, his retirement plans included owning a vineyard in the South of France or Italy and starting a business there. I too am keen on agriculture as my post-graduation has also been in Soil Microbiology and Plant Pathology. We, however, got busy with the pharmaceutical company that we had established. But at the same time, we were also visiting vineyards across the world.
In around 2007-2008, the former landowner was looking to sell this vineyard plot and our names were referred to him. Out of sheer curiosity, we drove to Hampi to check out the piece of land. Both of us fell in love with it instantly. Plus, we checked the soil and found that it is good for growing wine grapes. So we decided to take it on, even if it was quite a distance.
How is it to manage two big businesses?
This all started due to the passion for wine and not as a business idea. Even today, that hasn’t changed. It has been tough, no doubt, as the vineyard is in a remote location and it’s a seven-hour drive away from our Hyderabad home. We bought it in 2008 and the initial years were tough as the roads were not good, There weren’t too many farmers and there was no electricity and no place to stay. We started from scratch and slowly, but steadily, we built it to what it is today. We have always believed that whatever task we take, we should do it wholeheartedly. Hence, we both are able to manage the pharma company as well as the vineyard.
