March 11, 2025 – Big Creek Vineyard and Winery has had a tasting room in Jim Thorpe, Pennsylvania, for around 20 years.
Half of that time has been spent in the historic Hooven mercantile building in the town’s Historic District, at 41 Susquehanna St., right by the train station.
That long run is about to end, owners Marissa and Dominic Strohlein announced Monday, with the winery vacating the building after Thursday, March 13.
The email noted that they are already searching for another spot to call home in Jim Thorpe, but for now, they are welcoming visitors to the winery and vineyard that’s located around 15 miles away in Kunkletown.
“In the meantime, we will continue to support local artists by hosting events at our vineyard location such as art classes, figure drawing, and open mic comedy,” the email read. “The Mini Paint N Sip scheduled at our shop for Friday, March 28th, will be held at the vineyard instead. You are also welcome to join us every Wednesday evening from May – September for golden hour charcuterie dinners among the vines. Tickets and information can be found at bigcreekvineyard.com.
The winery and vineyard are located on an 80-acre farm in Monroe County that Dominic’s family, decades ago, saw advertised for sale in the New York Times. The property in the Poconos included an old farmhouse, a barn, and an old school from the 1800s, with the owners offering to pay for the train fare to Stroudsburg and a stay at the Indian Princess Hotel for anyone wanting to view the property.
The owner would also throw in a free set of Melmac dishes, according to background on the winery that appears on the website.
Dom’s family bought it all for $2800 and, as of when the summary of the farm’s history was written, still had possession of the dishes. He would take summer trips there from the Bronx to visit his grandparents and great aunt and uncle, beginning a relationship with a property that would, down the road, provide the land to pursue his growing interest in grape growing and winemaking.
The winery opened in 1996.
Dominic told PennLive in 2011 that they had replanted their vineyard several times as they figured out what grew on the mountain ridges in that area of Pennsylvania east of Jim Thorpe and around 35 miles north of Allentown.
“You know, when you first start, you plant the grapes of the wines you like to drink,” Strohlein said then. “So we had Cab Sauvignon, Nebbiolo, Sangiovese, and all these wonderful vines. They grew beautifully, they just didn’t ripen. After a couple of years of struggling to make a mediocre wine, we just started [experimenting].”
Today, their wines reflect the result of that trial-and-error process, experimentation, featuring hybrids including Seyval, Frontenac, Cayuga, Marechal Foch and Concord. Here’s a link to the list of their wines, which run $12 to $16/bottle.
Marissa said in a phone call on Monday that they are “still on the hunt” for another location in Jim Thorpe.
Meanwhile, they are excitedly getting ready to host their first wedding at the winery and vineyard site, with the hope of many more to follow.
