Curated flights of New Mexican wines, brandy, and whisky with expert guidance from our knowledgeable staff.
Creative small plates like papas bravas, chorizo, meatballs, and seasonal dishes made with local ingredients.
Signature cocktails and non-alcoholic versions, including options like the Mistress, tailored to your preferences.
Authentic paella made to order with a 55-minute preparation time, perfect for sharing with friends.
Host bachelorette parties, dinners, or gatherings in our cozy indoor or peaceful outdoor seating areas.
Purchase bottles of wine, spirits, and souvenirs to take home a piece of the VARA experience.
Sip, savor, and celebrate New Mexico's finest wines and spirits in a vibrant, welcoming atmosphere.
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VARA Tasting Room at Balloon Fiesta Park offers an exceptional experience blending premium New Mexican wines, spirits, and creative tapas-style cuisine. As a farm-to-bottle destination, we feature locally sourced ingredients and a curated selection of dry wines, brandy, whisky, and craft cocktails, including non-alcoholic options. Our inviting indoor and outdoor spaces are perfect for tastings, casual dining, or special events, with a friendly staff dedicated to personalized service. Whether you're a wine enthusiast, foodie, or seeking a unique Albuquerque venue, VARA provides a memorable taste of the region's flavors.
I'm in love with VARA's tasting room. The wines are, according to my dinner partner, amazing. I can personally speak to the noche negra rum, which was fantabulous. VARA has a small menu of creative dishes that looked amazing. I'm a total prima donna with my carnivore diet, but the chef whipped out some off-menu meat-only options - chorizo links... Scrumptious enough I ordered another plate. Everything on the table looked amazing from the papas to the salad. Bottom line, awesome staff, great vibe, and fun food. I also had an opportunity to hang out with New Mexico United FC, who VARA sponsors. (Cool points with my sons)
Great first experience at a winery. Great tasting flights for a good price. They are upgrading and starting to serve food as well. Bring a sweater definitely chilly inside the only thing we didn't enjoy so moved outside. But winter is coming soon
I asked for one of their cocktails to to be made wo alcohol and our server accommodated my request. I had the Mistress and it was very good. It wasn't one the normally make NA. My son and were biking from the Balloon Fiesta and we got three flats exhausting our spare tubes. Our server was so hospitable bringing us extra water. The outdoor area was a wonderful respite.
I came here for a bachelorette dinner with a group of friends. The atmosphere is nice for a quiet meal with drinks. We sat in the inside area and got the popcorn, spinach salad, tapas board, papas bravas, grilled asparagus, and the chicken pintxos. When I made the reservation I was informed that there was a limited menu due to there being only one chef in the kitchen, but you really couldn't tell. The food came out quickly and was so delicious. The group ordered several different cocktails and the bar even offers Bubly and some of their cocktail as mocktails- which was great for our group because half the ladies don't drink and I'm pregnant, so it was nice to get to order something besides water. The staff was polite and welcoming. I like the gift shop at the front as well and the outside seating looked very peaceful. I don't live in ABQ, but I would come here again when I visit. Just FYI they do not have high chairs, so be prepared to hold your smaller kiddo/s if you happen to bring them with you. I brought my 1.5 year old daughter and she sat on our laps which wasn't a problem for us.
This was our first visit here. We enjoyed our selves. We had drinks and food. The wait staff was very frendly. It is a small venue and was very pleasant. The food was tasty although portions were small (tapas size). We decided to order the paella, it is a 55min wait, but drinking with friends made the time go fast. The flavor was good, although slightly salty. We enjoyed the meat balls, the papas, the chicken skewers and the tapas platter. They do have drinks other than wine (which we were told are all dry). They have brandy (aged and young) and whisky (no other alcohols). For 2 people with drinks and food we spent about $130. We gave it 4 stars because we did enjoy it, but the limited spirit selection and slightly salty paella kept us out of the "love it" rating. We will be returning.
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