KRISHNA CHAPATWALA- CEO OF WINE SHOE

Q. Thanks for interviewing with

us. Tell us who you are and what you do.

A. I am a wine shop owner of Wine Shoe in Atlanta Georgia and a chef. Being brought up in India, food was an integral part of my upbringing. As a food business owner from 2009 to 2018, I catered many private dinner parties with wine pairings. That experience as well as living in Germany opened my eyes to the importance of wine on the table with food. In 2019, I had a life changing trip to Washington State while visiting wineries in that region. That trip solidified my decision to have a brick and mortar in the form of a wine shop. Wine Shoe is a boutique retail wine shop & a tasting room in downtown Atlanta, Castleberry Hill neighborhood, we offer private and public classes for wine education as well as walk-in tastings.

Q. Tell us a little bit about your journey and how you got to where you are today?

A. I became a wine shop owner in 2020. I’ve had a personal chef & catering company since 2009, local Green Eats. I grew my personal chef business preparing meals for families, intimate dinners, birthday parties, weddings, and festive occasions— one delicious recipe at a time. While offering the wine pairings to guests and clients in their homes, I recognized the importance of wine pairings with food. Or even that perfect $25 bottle for a Wednesday night made a difference to the meal.

While living in Germany, I tried my first Silvaner, a light white, in Rheingau region of Germany during a weekend trip from Bavaria to Mainz. After living in Europe and visiting many worldrenowned regions, my perspective on entertaining, cooking, and wine was transformed. Upon returning to the US, I learned to pair flavors in food and wine from across the globe. After my enlightening trip to Washington state, Wine Shoe was the opportunity to offer my knowledge of wine and share exciting new varietals with my guests. Most importantly I get to share my love of Old and New World wines and wellhoned knowledge about food pairings to everyone who walks into the Wine Shoe. Once a month I combine these loves and offer a wine & food tasting.

Q. How was the transition been coming to the U.S. to pursue your career?

A. Moved here as a young child with my family.

Q. What are your favorite dishes to make being a professional chef?

A. Mediterranean food with an Indian flare, right now I am making a lot of Spiced Salmon Kebabs with Lemon

Q. Let’s talk about the “Wine Shoe” and the motivation behind it?

A. At Wine Shoe we make wine approachable and fun through our tastings & wine club. We carry wines from around the world from small production wineries and vineyards, and from families that do not have representation in big, boxed stores. We carry that mission into the shop by offering wine club memberships to guests, and each month club members can come in and try the wines of the month before taking home their favorite bottles.

Q. So how does wine get these different flavors and aromas?

A. Wine gets its flavors and aromas from multiple different factors, including the land, soil the vines are grown in i.e., vines near the ocean pick up the sea mist and the grapes have a tinge of salt in the flavor profile, additionally grapes have certain flavor notes that are enhanced after fermentation and aging.

Q. Where do you see yourself and business in the next five years?

A. To have multiple locations of the wine shop and continue offering wine club, unique bottles available at our boutique, retail locations and in-house tastings for small and large groups.

Q. Tell us one fun fact about yourself?

A. I am a type-A travel junkie. I love making lists of all the places I want to travel to and then add to those lists with restaurants, sights to see and wine shops and vineyards to visit. Tell me where you want to go, and I’ve got a list for that town/region for you.

Q. Are you working on any new projects or upcoming events?

A. Each month we have tastings to try new varietals and explore regions. Information on all upcoming events can be found on our website. www. wineshoeatlanta.com

Q. Where can the readers follow you?

A. Instagram: WineShoe, Facebook: WineShoeAtlanta.