VARA Winery & Distillery

Established in New Mexico, the crossroads between the old and new world for wine, VARA is an urban winery & craft distillery that has been combining the best of both worlds since 2016. Grounded in the tradition of winemaking in New Mexico, we strive to build on those traditions by taking innovative approaches to crafting wines and spirits. As an urban winery, we strive to select the best grapes from around the world (and just down the road) and bring them to our winery production facility in Albuquerque. Our expert winemakers, helmed by Laurent Gruet, Bob Lindquist, Louisa Sawyer Lindquist, and Djuna Benjamin, elevate and blend these grapes to create exquisite wines. As a craft distillery, we aim to bring the best of what New Mexico has to offer to our spirits, sourcing ingredients in New Mexico whenever possible. Our head distiller, Djuna Benjamin, hand crafts our artisan spirits with a New Mexico flair. We make seriously good wines and spirits for everyone and for all occasions.