02 Sep Please The Palate Wine of the Week: Alamati Wines 2025 North Canyon Vineyard Albariño, Santa Maria Valley

With the summer heat still going strong, a trip to the farmers market had me craving something cool and refreshing. The beautiful heirloom tomatoes caught my eye and inspired me to make gazpacho. And when thinking about what to pair with this classic Spanish dish, Albariño immediately came to mind. But just as my gazpacho was made with fresh California ingredients, my Albariño was also from California. Fresh, bright, and a perfect match for my homemade gazpacho, the Alamati Wines 2025 North Canyon Vineyard Albariño from the Santa Maria Valley is the Please The Palate Wine of the Week.

About Alamati Wines

Alamati Wines is the project of childhood friends and Santa Barbara natives, Cooper Allebrand and Niko Comati, whose friendship began when they met at a soccer camp at four years old. Long before either entered the wine industry, they talked about someday creating a project together.

Niko studied Horticulture and Crop Science at Cal Poly before entering the wine business and gaining harvest experience in Piemonte, Wairarapa, and California’s Central Coast. Cooper found his way into winemaking while working alongside Ernst Storm during the 2020 harvest. The first vintage of Alamati was in 2021, and today, they balance Alamati with their day jobs in wine, with Cooper working as Assistant Winemaker at Storm Wines and Niko as Assistant Winemaker at Dierberg–Star Lane.

At the heart of Alamati is friendship, community, and the idea that wine belongs at the table. Cooper and Niko think about food pairings as they taste their wines and describe their project as making wines that bring people together.

Tasting Notes

Albariño is best known as the signature white grape of Rías Baixas in Galicia, Spain, where its bright acidity, citrus character, and often saline quality make it a natural partner for seafood and fresh, flavorful dishes. But the grape has also found a home along California’s Central Coast, where the cool coastal influence provides the conditions to maintain the freshness that makes Albariño so appealing. Cooper and Niko source their Albariño from the North Canyon Vineyard in the Santa Maria Valley.

Their goal with their white wines is to be fresh and zippy with complexity, and that is what this wine is. The wine has aromas of apricot pit, lemon curd, and seashells. It smoothly coats the palate and leaves the mouth watering on the finish.

Food Pairing

Gazpacho and Albariño are a natural match. I took this classic pairing and added a California spin with California-grown ingredients paired with a Spanish grape grown in California. My gazpacho was made with ripe California heirloom tomatoes, as well as cucumber, onion, garlic, and jalapeño that I also got at the farmers market. The acidity of the tomatoes matched the wine’s acidity, while the smooth texture of the wine matched the soup’s texture while toning down the kick from the jalapeño.

Where To Purchase

The Alamati 2025 North Canyon Vineyard Albariño retails for $34 and can be purchased directly on the Alamati Wine website.