KRSMA Manifest 2018: Reviewing one of the top wine brands in India

Just four years after its ritzy launch, India’s KRSMA Estates is busy re-doing, re-thinking and re-vamping its portfolio. The single constant factor is a laser-focus insistence on quality.

A quick check in with the Chigurupatis spells out the changes and the constants.

KRSMA wins Best Indian Winery at the Living Foodz Epicurean Guild Awards 2018

At the recently held Living Foodz Epicurean Guild Awards 2018 in Mumbai, the award for Best Indian Winery was given to the Hampi Hills-based KRSMA Estates by a 22-member jury.

This is not the first time that KRSMA has won an award and it is unlikely to be the last. In the four years since its launch, it has quickly established itself as a quality-focused owner-driven Indian wine producer who pretty much marches to its own drumbeats, steering clear of crowd-pleasing decision-making. And its wines, currently available in just two Indian cities fly rapidly off the shelves. Regular grumbles among wine lovers about the difficulty in accessing stocks has given it something of a cult following. Whenever I travel to other parts of India, wine-loving folk often ask me KRSMA-related questions. What’s up? What’s new?

When I recently met up with both the owners at a KRSMA wine dinner at Bengaluru’s new dining hot spot, The Smoke Co, it was a rare opportunity. Krishna Chigurupati keeps busy with his ‘day job’ at his pharmaceutical company and his wife Uma her own commitments (though they continue to remain firmly hands-on with their wines) so it’s a rarity these days to catch them both together over a KRSMA-paired meal. Ergo, it was the perfect moment to get a first-hand update on the ‘what’s up’ and ‘what’s new’ questions.

Uma and Krishna Prasad Chigurupati

Seated next to Krishna Chigurupati at the dinner, I asked him about the latest from the Hampi Hills. Here’s an update.

KRSMA Estates Cabernet Sauvignon

After the release of KRSMA Cabernet Sauvignon 2011, the 2012 vintage was released and sold out in a jiffy, establishing KRSMA as one of the top wine brands in India. However, Krishna Chigurupati deemed the 2013 vintage not good enough to be bottled as their flagship Cabernet. Things improved with the 2014 vintage, which if you can get your hands on a bottle, is presently drinking at its peak. 2015, the current vintage in the market is still growing into its elder sibling’s boots but promises to reward the patience of those willing to wait a few more months. “Stocks of the 2015 will last until early 2019,” Chigurupati tells me. “Our Cabernet is improving year on year. Wait for the 2016. And I think the 2017 will be very good.”

Updated reports on the Cabernet Sauvignon 2016 from the KRSMA winery says to expect good things and more from the 2016 vintage – a wine that will be fruit forward (red fruit and dark berries) with good structure from the oak (currently a little harsh as expected but will settle) and all the complexity you can expect from one of India’s top red wine brands. Promise of excellent acidity and balance.

And as for the Cabernet Sauvignon 2017, it has reportedly been harvested at the perfect time, is showing promise of perfect fruit and acidity and is developing rapidly. Should be a biggie.

KRSMA Estates Sangiovese

Arrivederci, Sangiovese.

The 2016 vintage of the KRSMA Estate Sangiovese will be the last you will see of this varietal from KRSMA. The final vintage of this wine promised and delivered on quality. “We couldn’t continue with the Sangiovese,” says Chigurupati, “We hadn’t enough water in the vineyards and the soil had become alkaline.” Is this its swan song then? “We want to try again, maybe after three years or so.”

Fingers crossed…

KRSMA Estates Sauvignon Blanc

If you are a KRSMA Sauvignon Blanc fan, rejoice. The Sauvignon Blanc is going strong. The 2017 vintage is out on the shelves with the 2018 to follow in a few months.

This wine promises to stay put in their portfolio and is doing well in the market too. This is one of the wines KRSMA exports to the US.

KRSMA Estates Chardonnay

Another cause to sigh in regret. The current 2016 vintage will be the last you will see of the KRSMA Chardonnay, also because of water issues.

But if you are a fan of sparkling wine made of 100% Chardonnay, KRSMA has a surprise in the offing. Chigurupati confesses to experimenting with the grape to make a classic methode traditionelle sparkling wine with very promising results. For starters, a mere 190 bottles have been made as a trial batch and kept aside for family and friends. As always is with KRSMA, commerce will wait on quality. “Whatever you’re doing, do it right,” says Chigurupati. “The first few vintages of this sparkling wine will not be released into the market.”

This Indian sparkling should be worth the watch and wait.

New entrant: KRSMA Estates Syrah

This is their next big project. The KRSMA team is busy with the latest add-on to their portfolio – a Syrah. But hold your horses and quit whooping. You won’t see this around until Christmas 2018 or early 2019. Once released, the KRSMA Syrah 2016 will vie for the top spot with the best Indian red wines made.

The Chigurupatis have been excited at the prospect of their latest offering for a while now. “I would rate it #1 in my portfolio,” Chigurupati reveals, “It’s not as muscular as the Cabernet but it is the only Indian Syrah I’ve tasted with the classic peppery note so characteristic of the grape. It’s a totally different type of Syrah: not like an Australian Shiraz, more like a Rhône Syrah or actually something in between.” The pricing has not been fixed but it will certainly be priced higher than their Cabernet Sauvignon and right up there with India’s priciest super-premium expensive wines today. The first vintage will be a small one of only 800 bottles, so Chigurupati is contemplating not releasing it in the market at all this time. This 2016 vintage of the KRSMA Syrah will likely be “an exclusive collector’s item” and sold on request, ex-winery.

The most exciting prospect from KRSMA for a while.

K2, the worthy ‘seconds’

K2 Cabernet Sauvignon 2013

The nixed 2013 vintage of the Cabernet Sauvignon was launched in a new avatar as K2, the first ever ‘second wine’ by a winery in India. It was priced lower than the rest of the portfolio and meant for early drinking.

I tasted the K2 Cabernet Sauvignon 2013 once again at The Smoke Co dinner, and boy, this baby has grown and is drinking so well. Don’t forget this was originally meant to be the KRSMA Cabernet, so the grapes are from the same parcels, and as meticulously made as its Big Brother. “I’m not getting second quality grapes, so I’m putting my good grapes into K2,” says Chigurupati. Expectedly, it is punching way above its price-value ratio.

Only the last few bottles of this vintage left on the shelves.

New entrant: K2 Chenin Blanc

The second K2, the Chenin Blanc 2018 will make its debut around June. Priced the same as the K2 Cabernet, it will sport a new sunset gold label to distinguish it as a white wine.

Insider report from the winery: “An exceptional example of a Chenin Blanc: it’s a lot more complex than most. Its fruit flavors are citrusy – candied lemon and lemon zest, with crisp acidity and a good finish. It has a fuller mouthfeel than one would expect from a Chenin with this acidity.”

If it displays all the classic fresh, fruity Chenin characteristics, it will hit the right notes with young drinkers.

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So that’s the latest KRSMA Estates update. You may lose some favourites but get some more in return. Meanwhile, the bottles continue to move briskly off the shelves (rumour has it that a few notable names have snapped up multiple cases of the Sangiovese at the onset and are now chortling gleefully into their pasta primavera.)

Even as I was lamenting the disappearance of the Sangiovese and the Chardonnay from the portfolio, Chigurupati revealed that he is planning to experiment by replanting the grapes on another piece of land he owns. “it’s in the middle of the river,” he says. That should be interesting and would take care of water shortage issues at any rate. However, this is in the very early stages of consideration.