Vara Winery & Distillery

What Vara Winery & Distillery does

VARA Winery & Distillery is a privately held, vertically integrated winery and craft distillery headquartered in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Founded in late 2013 by Doug Diefenthaler and Xavier Zamarripa, the company operates as New Mexico's only combined winery and distillery, producing both wines and craft spirits from a single production facility. The portfolio includes five wine tiers (VARA Platinum, VARA Gold, VARA Black, Silverhead Sparkling, VARAxLG) leveraging Spanish grape varietals and Méthode Champenoise sparkling techniques, alongside a spirits lineup (High Desert Gin, Painted Sky Vodka, Estrella Blanca Rum, Sangre del Sol Brandy, Vermut Dulce Añejo, and others). Third-generation winemaker Laurent Gruet, formerly co-founder of Gruet Winery, joined as Partner and Sparkling Winemaker in 2020, lending 32+ years of industry expertise.

The company operates a multi-channel go-to-market combining two DTC tasting rooms (Balloon Fiesta Park in Albuquerque and Santa Fe Plaza), direct e-commerce through varawines.com, wholesale distribution across ten U.S. states, and a four-tier subscription wine club with recurring deliveries. Revenue mechanics span tasting room sales (with VARA Platinum exclusive to tasting rooms), event-driven experiences (cocktail labs, festival activations), wholesale transactions through retailers, and subscription fees from wine club members. The company serves four primary customer segments: general wine enthusiasts, sparkling wine aficionados, New Mexico residents and tourists, and wine collectors, with a brand tagline positioning around accessible, "non-intimidating" wine consumption.

VARA is led by CEO Jon Murray with co-founders Doug Diefenthaler and Xavier Zamarripa maintaining board roles. The company is bootstrapped (no disclosed funding rounds or institutional investors), has 11-50 employees, and has accumulated notable industry recognition including a 98-point rating at the 2024 San Francisco International Wine Competition for its New Mexico Sparkling Brut 2023—the highest score ever awarded to a New Mexico wine. Recent corporate activity includes the July 2025 closure of its Nob Hill tasting room and a July 2026 distribution expansion into Oklahoma, Minnesota, and Wisconsin.

Name

Vara Winery & Distillery

Legal name

VARA Winery & Distillery

Website

https://varawines.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

VARA Winery & Distillery is Albuquerque, New Mexico's only combined winery and distillery, producing Spanish-grape wines, Méthode Champenoise sparkling wines, and craft spirits. It serves general consumers, sparkling wine enthusiasts, New Mexico locals and tourists, and collectors through DTC tasting rooms, e-commerce, wholesale across ten states, and a four-tier wine club.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Winery and Distillery

NAICS

Wineries (312130), Distilleries (312140), Wine and Distilled Alcoholic Beverage Merchant Wholesalers (42482), Beer, Wine, and Liquor Retailers (445320)

SIC

Beverages (2080), Wholesale-Beer, Wine & Distilled Alcoholic Beverages (5180)

akta.pro primary industry

Wine Production & Winemaking (AFAFAAAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Wineries & Vineyards (Tasting Rooms) (THAFALAE), Wine & Sparkling Wine Wineries & Brands (CRADAIAB), Wine Retail (Bottle Shops & Wine Merchants) (CRANABAB)

Keywords

• Winery and distillery
• Sparkling wine production
• Craft spirits
• Wine club memberships
• New Mexico wines

Headquarters

HQ city

Albuquerque

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Direct-to-Consumer Tasting Room Sales: Wine and spirits sold directly at VARA tasting rooms in Albuquerque and Santa Fe, including tasting flights, glasses, bottles, and food pairings. VARA Platinum wines are exclusively available in tasting rooms.
2. E-commerce and Online Sales: Products sold through varawines.com with shipping across the U.S., including wines and spirits for delivery to customers nationwide.
3. Wine Club Memberships: Four tiers of wine club memberships: One Bottle Club (monthly), Three-Bottle Club (quarterly), Club VARA (quarterly), and Case Club (biannual). Members receive discounts on bottles, complimentary tastings, early access to releases, and invitations to exclusive events.
4. Wholesale Distribution: Wine distribution across ten states: New Mexico, California, Arizona, Colorado, Illinois, Ohio, Texas, Oklahoma, Minnesota, and Wisconsin. Products available at select retailers in distribution states.
5. Event Experiences: Paid ticketed experiences including cocktail labs ($45 per person), sparkling wine tastings with Laurent Gruet, and event participation at festivals.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

VARA Winery & Distillery is the only combined winery and distillery in New Mexico, producing wines from Spanish and California grape varietals across tiers (VARA Platinum, Gold, Black, Silverhead Sparkling, VARAxLG) and craft spirits (High Desert Gin, Painted Sky Vodka, Estrella Blanca Rum, Sangre del Sol Brandy, VARA Vermut Dulce Añejo). Products are sold through two tasting rooms in Albuquerque and Santa Fe, an e-commerce site with U.S. shipping, four-tier wine club memberships, and wholesale distribution across ten states.

Product overview

VARA Winery & Distillery is a combined winery and craft distillery producing seriously great wines and spirits in New Mexico. The portfolio includes multiple wine tiers (VARA Platinum, VARA Gold, VARA Black, Silverhead Sparkling, VARAxLG) made using various techniques including Méthode Champenoise for sparkling wines, a diverse spirits line (High Desert Gin, Painted Sky Vodka, Estrella Blanca Rum, Somos Unidos Gin/Rum, Sangre del Sol Brandy, Vermut Dulce Añejo), and four membership-based wine clubs. The company operates two tasting rooms in New Mexico (Balloon Fiesta Park and Santa Fe) and distributes products across ten states. The winemaking is led by third-generation winemaker Laurent Gruet.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• VARA Platinum: Limited batch wines made from the finest grapes offering a VIP luxury experience.
• VARA Gold
• VARA Black
• VARA Silverhead Sparkling
• VARAxLG

Quantifiable outcome

• 98-point rating and Double Gold Medal at 2024 San Francisco International Wine Competition for New Mexico Sparkling Brut 2023 - highest score ever for a New Mexico wine
• +3 more outcomes

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Schramsberg Vineyards: California Méthode Champenoise sparkling wine specialist widely regarded as among the best US sparkling producers. Direct peer in sparkling wine craftsmanship and premium positioning.
• Black Mesa Winery: New Mexico winery in Velarde producing Spanish varietal wines including Tempranillo and Cabernet. Comparable varietal mix and small-batch craft positioning.
• Casa Rondeña Winery: Albuquerque-based winery with tasting room and events. Direct geographic competitor for the same Albuquerque tasting room and wine club customer base.
• Iron Horse Vineyards: Sonoma County sparkling wine producer with tasting room and event hosting. Comparable in Méthode Champenoise expertise and experience-centric DTC approach.
• Vivác Winery: Family-owned New Mexico winery in Dixon producing estate-grown wines from Spanish and Rhone varietals. Highly comparable in product portfolio (Spanish varietals) and small craft scale.
• St. Clair Winery & Bistro: New Mexico's largest winery with multiple tasting rooms and bistro locations. Competes directly with VARA for NM wine tourist traffic and DTC wine club members.
• Domaine Carneros: California château specializing in Méthode Champenoise sparkling wines with tasting room experience. Comparable in sparkling-only focus and tasting-room-led DTC strategy.
• Gruet Winery: New Mexico's famous sparkling wine house, originally co-founded by Laurent Gruet. Direct peer in sparkling wine category and competition for the same premium on-premise accounts in New Mexico.
• La Chiripada Winery: Family-owned New Mexico winery producing primarily Spanish-style wines. Comparable in heritage positioning, varietal focus, and small craft scale.

Broad incumbents

• E. & J. Gallo Winery: Largest US wine producer offering wide portfolio across price points including sparkling. Broad incumbent that competes for the same retail shelf space at lower price tiers.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/varawine

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Vara Winery & Distillery