Dry-Rubbed Tri-Tip Roast + Halter Ranch 's 2011 Cotes de Paso for #winePW

The second Saturday of the month is one of my favorite days. Do you know why? Because it's our #winePW - Wine Pairing Weekend - reveal. I absolutely adore it. How can you not love bloggers who love food and love wine?! It's a fantastic event from which I never fail to make a wine shopping list.

And this month Christy of Confessions of a Culinary Diva is hosting. Here's Christy's invitation for "South of the Border." She's asked us to explore regional foods from Mexico and pair them with wine. What a fun project!

If you see this early enough, please join us May 9th at 11 a.m. Eastern Time. We’ll be chatting on twitter at #WinePW about our South of the Border food and wine pairings. We’d love to have you join us!

During these events, I try to highlight a local-to-me vintner and, if possible, a new-to-me vintner. It's an adventure all around. This month, however, I opted to go with one of our favorites: Halter Ranch Vineyards in Paso Robles. Click to read about our quick trip to Halter Ranch in March. We had so much fun.

In My Glass

Côtes de Paso is a Rhône-style blend of four varietals from Halter Ranch's sustainably farmed estate vineyard. It's 43% Grenache, 23% Mourvèdre, 23% Syrah, and 11% Tannat. The included tasting notes suggested pairing with meats, charcuterie, and Mediterranean fare.

Becuse it is not a demure wine, I knew it would stand up well to spicy Mexican food. The wine is nicely weighted with balanced acidity and tannin. It's bright and interesting. It was a fantastic match for my dry-rubbed tri tip. It's not ultra-traditional. but it goes well on a tortilla with some pico de gallo.

On the Plate
The Meat

• one 2-pound tri tip roast
• 2 T coffee grounds (I used beans from local-to-me Verve Coffee Roasters)
• 3 T organic dark brown sugar
• 1 t sweet paprika
• 1 t smoked paprika
• 3/4 t dried ginger
• 2 t ground cumin
• 1 vanilla bean, seeds scraped
• 1 T freshly ground black pepper
• 2 T freshly ground salt
• olive oil

Procedure

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Rub the roast with the remaining ingredients - except the olive oil. Massage the rub well into the entire surface of the roast. Drizzle the roast with olive oil. Place in the oven, uncovered, for 35 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven, cover with foil and let rest for 15 minutes before slicing.

To serve: place sliced tri tip on a tortilla and top with pico de gallo.

Wine Pairing Weekend #12 

Here's what all of the bloggers have created for the May Wine Pairing Weekend

• Camilla from Culinary Adventures with Cam has prepared "Dry-Rubbed Tri Tip Roast with Halter Ranch 's 2011 Cotes de Paso"
• Cindy from Grape Experiences "Wine and Dine for #winePW: Matanegra Vendimia Seleccionada 2010 and Queso Fundido"
• David from Cooking Chat is pairing "Spanish Wine for Pork Tacos"
• Jennifer from Vino Travels mixes it up with "Mexican meets Italian: Fish Tacos with Stemmari Sparkling Grillo"
• Lori from Dracaena Wines "Mexican Musings on #WinePW"
• Martin from Enofylz Wine Blog "Chicken Pipian Verde, Mexican Quinoa and the Devil's Collection White"
• Michelle from Rockin Red Blog "Celebrating Cinco de Mayo with #WinePW"
• Nancy from Pull That Cork "Spicy Chicken Salad with Guacamole and a South African Rose for #winePW"
• Sarah from Curious Cuisiniere presents "Carnitas and the Basics of Mexican Food & Wine Pairing"
• Wendy from A Day in the Life on a Farm is bring us Veggie Quesadillas with and old vine Nisia from Spain
• Confessions of a Culinary Diva is pairing wines from Baja California

  

  And that's a Wrap...

...on our May #winePW event.  My Dry-Rubbed Tri-Tip Roast + Halter Ranch 's 2011 Cotes de Paso was so much fun! I'll pin this recipe and other posts on my #winePW pinterest board. David, the event creator, also has a Wine Pairing Weekend pinterest board. 

And, be sure to mark your calendars for June's Wine Pairing Weekend. We'll be continuing the #WinePW conversation on Saturday, June 13th! I don't know who's hosting...or what the theme is, but I'm in!

If you can't find Halter Ranch's Côtes de Paso, swap out for any Rhône-style red blend. And if you try this pairing - or just the wine - I would love to hear what you think. Comment below, find Culinary Adventures with Camilla on facebook, or tweet to me at @Culinary_Cam.