(Jan. 29, 2024; ALBUQUERQUE, N.M.)—JP Clement, CEO and General Manager of VARA Winery & Distillery, an urban winery and craft distillery based in Albuquerque, is excited to announce a new interactive dining experience, “Winter Winederland,” that will be held throughout February at Electric Playhouse, located at 301 Gold Ave. SW, in Albuquerque. The five-course wine dinner experience will be hosted by VARA’s Education and Experiences Manager, Abigail Cunningham, with dishes crafted by Electric Playhouse’s chef and wine pairings selected by VARA’s skilled team of artisans.
Guests may book tickets online here. The VARA x Electric Playhouse Winter Winederland dinner experience is offered at 5 p.m. on Feb. 2, and 6 p.m. on Feb. 9, Feb. 10, Feb. 14, Feb. 16, Feb. 17, and Feb. 23.
“We can’t wait to host guests at Electric Playhouse and see VARA’s wines come to life, literally, in this new immersive experience,” says Clement. “There’s nothing more ‘New Mexican’ than creative collaboration, which is exactly what this dinner encapsulates. It’s an experience combining art and entertainment with fine wine and dining, leaving guests buzzing with their newfound knowledge of wine in New Mexico.”
Electric Playhouse, founded in 2020, boasts a 20,000-square-foot space dedicated to offering immersive experiences—encompassing gaming, dining, and arts. It includes a specialty drinks and bar space and event spaces hosting some of the Southwest’s biggest shows and performances.
The menu for the VARA Winter Winederland experience ($85 per person) includes a Southwestern charcuterie plate paired with the VARA Silverhead Brut, a Korean-style egg roll with the VARA Viura 2022, a garlic and parsley shrimp crostini with the VARA Albariño 2021, pan-seared duck or wild mushroom risotto with the VARA Gold Label Tempranillo 2020, and a three-layer chocolate mousse or raspberry sorbet with the VARA Zingara 2019 to finish.
“At VARA, we make delicious wines for everyday enjoyment,” says Cunningham. “With that, we also deeply value educating our guests on VARA’s winemaking techniques and the history of wine in our home state of New Mexico. This partnership with Electric Playhouse synthesizes all those goals by bringing together a fun, educational, and absolutely delicious experience that I am thrilled to host.”
Throughout the meal, guests will be seated at an interactive table with immersive visuals on all four walls of the dining room that tell the story of VARA’s wines and New Mexico’s winemaking past, present, and future. Guests will be invited to share their wine-tasting notes and thoughts as they learn about different varieties and winemaking styles.
About VARA Winery & Distillery
Founded in 2016, VARA is an Albuquerque-based urban winery and craft distillery that brings together a passionate circle of professionals who use innovative techniques to create wines and spirits that express a uniquely New Mexican point of view. VARA is inspired by New Mexico’s boundary-pushing culture and the state’s history of winemaking, which spans nearly 400 years and is as rich and storied as the region’s colorful landscapes. VARA Winery & Distillery produces still, sparkling, and fortified wines, along with brandy, gin, rum, and vodka. VARA has three tasting rooms in New Mexico: the Balloon Fiesta Park Tasting Room, located at 315 Alameda Blvd. NE; the Santa Fe Tasting Room, located at 329 W. San Francisco St; and the Nob Hill Tasting Room, located at 201 Hermosa Dr. NE. VARA’s tasting rooms offer wine and spirits flights as well as a curated selection of cocktails and tapas. Please visit varawines.com for hours of operations and reservations.
For more information about VARA Winery & Distillery, please visit www.VARAwines.com and www.VARAspirits.com.
Follow on social media:
- Instagram: @VARAwine and @VARAspirits
- Facebook: @VARAWines
