This month’s Q&A checks in with Kevin Robinson, the winemaker at Karamoor Estate in Fort Washington. A longtime California resident, Robinson graduated from UC Davis before working for two decades at Napa’s Rutherford Hill and Lake County’s Brassfield Estate. He relocated to PA in 2012 to jumpstart the Karamoor line. Robinson describes himself as “an old school winemaker attempting to make delicious, world-class wines using traditional methods from our estate-grown, vinifera grapes.”

Without further ado, let’s jump into the questions:

Q: What is one thing that you are excited about right now at Karamoor Estate?

A: We’re very excited about our indoor/outdoor wine tasting room that we call “the Terrace!”  We are further renovating the barn and tasting room that was nearly completed before being destroyed in the fire of November of 2020.  It’s a cozy, chill atmosphere that’s become a popular attraction here in Blue Bell for that past year and a half.

Q: Name a PA wine, made by a different winery, that you think more people should know about

A: Galen Glen’s Gruner Veltliner is always one of my favorites!

Q: What’s a wine made outside of PA that you love and why? 

A: I’m a huge fan of the red wines from Italy’s Veneto region. Give me a rich, voluptuous Ripasso that is delicious and doesn’t break the bank!

Q: What’s a lesser-known grape that you think works or could work in PA and hope more people will plant?

If I could only plant two red varietals here in PA it would be Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot.

Q: What’s one misconception about PA wines that you’d love to address?

A: The general perception of PA wines to our wine drinking consumers is that they all suck.  It’s our biggest hurdle, and after almost 12 years here I haven’t seen much change in the overall attitudes.  Not enough has been done to address or change this misperception…

For those who work in the PA wine industry, would you like to participate in an upcoming Q&A? If so, let us know!