Sleepy Cat Urban Winery, located in the heart of the
Theater District in West End of Allentown, is owned and operated by Mark and Carrie Gerencher.
In 2018 & 2019, Sleepy Cat was voted Best Winery in the Valley by Lehigh Valley Style Magazine.
We opened in August 2016 with a wide variety of wine, a fun vibe and a winery experience, urban style. We made wine at home for 4 years prior to this adventure and fell in love with it. With production, a tasting room & a “pawty” room in the same location, you will be able to see where production occurs and taste our wines all in the same facility in an urban setting. We host classes all month in the “pawty” room such as paint and sips, tie dye, pottery, jewelry, string art, succulent, & wreath making classes to name just a few. Have a special event coming up or teach a cool activity? Contact us for more information!
What’s an Urban Winery?
Merriam-Webster on-line dictionary defines urban as “of, relating to, characteristic of, or constituting a city” and winery is defined as “a wine-making establishment.” Put the 2 together and you have us!
Currently, we are purchasing grape and fruit juices to produce our wines as we do not have a vineyard and we do not have plans to purchase a vineyard. All fermentation, back sweetening, filtering and bottling processes are done on site by Mark and Carrie and some very gracious friends and family.
We can’t thank our “Friends of Sleepy Cat” enough for helping us out through these processes.
Meet the Owners, Mark & Carrie
Mark was born and raised in Allentown, went to Allen High School and received a Bachelor’s of Science in Marketing from the Pennsylvania State University.
Carrie was born in Allentown and raised in Emmaus, went to Salisbury High School. Carrie seems to be a life-long learner….having 2 Bachelor’s of Science degrees (Hotel & Restaurant Management and Nutrition) and a Master of Arts in Nutrition Education. She is currently the on campus Registered Dietitian at Lehigh University.
We both love animals and have 4 cats. We are also geocachers that enjoy looking for adventure and meeting new people. We’d love to visit all 50 states! 26 states down, 24 to go!
Meet the “Real” Owners, Teemu, Dante, Phoenix & Apollo.
Dante is our 14 year old, middle “child”. Dante is Carrie’s shadow; just look for Dante and you will find Carrie. He loves to take naps under the covers, watch the birds, and lounge in the sun. If you are a visitor at our house, you should consider yourself super lucky if you spot him as he is very skittish with anyone but us.
Meet Apollo! We adopted Apollo for our 13th wedding anniversary. Yes, that’s where his name came from, Apollo 13. He is about 9 years old, but we can’t be sure because he was adopted. He is a big love bug and lap cat. He also loves to lay on Mark’s feet, loves to sneak Dante’s food, & talks to his toys. He is often seen bird & squirrel watching out the back window. He is so happy he has a home with his 3 “brothers.
Hosting a Party or Event?
Consider having your party or event at our winery.
