theCorkHead.com

theCorkHead.com

The online home of Mark “The Cork Head” Stuart, Certified Wine Professional, speaker/educator, judge, and columnist.

Click here for more info

PrevSeptember
S M T W T F S
 1234
567891011
12131415161718
19202122232425
2627282930  

Blog

Cooking with Chef Dave at San Pasqual Winery

Chef Dave PitmasterSan Diego’s own San Pasqual Winery is hosting it’s inaugural food and wine class called ”A Perfect Pairing: Cooking with Chef Dave at San Pasqual Winery“. The class focuses on the basics of BBQ and the sharing of championship BBQ pitmaster secrets.

Taught by San Diego’s own award winning BBQ Pitmaster Dave Vindiola from Smokealicious BBQ and CookingwithChefDave.com, the class offers a great introduction to the entire BBQ process.  The August 7th event will cover everything from types of wood and fire, how smoke and spice work together, selecting the proper cuts of meat, as well as prepping, and of course cooking. Read More

Go San Diego at a Discount

gosandiego

***UPDATE!!! 

Go San Diego cards on sale from 6/22 – 7/1.  Save 10% instantly at checkout.  Also, enter code “Hasslefree” at checkout to receive a free trip protection waiver.

As a longtime San Diego resident and someone who used to manage beach vacation rentals, I’ve been asked countless times about getting the best deal on family entertainment while visiting San Diego.  While surfing the web yesterday I stumbled upon The Go San Diego Card, an absolute no brainer for the tourist season.

Read More

Two for One Wine Classes

Buy one wine class, get the 2nd one free!

I’ve proclaimed 2010 as “The Year of Happiness”.

Heck, local real estate prices have been on the rise for 8 consecutive months and the stock market has risen nearly 37% over the last year. We certainly have not seen that in a while!

Now is the time to treat yourself (or your Mom!) to something special, and I’m here to offer my own little incentive to do so.  Keep this email as a “Buy one super fun entertaining and informative wine class, get one super fun entertaining and informative wine class free” coupon.* Read More

The Magic of Sparkling Wine

Accidents can sometimes result in glorious revelations. The evolution of sparkling wine is certainly a delicious example.

Centuries ago, temperature controlled environments in which to produce wines were not available. The now famous wine destination of Champagne, located about an hour-an-a-half drive north and east of Paris, experiences very cool fall and winter temperatures. Cold enough to slow down and eventually halt the fermentation process of the wines being produced. Early winemakers would see that fermentation had stopped and therefore bottled what they had Read More

Fallbrook Winery Shines at Wine Competition

SDIWCcolorlogo  The 2010 San Diego International Wine Competition was held over the weekend where over 30 judges from around the United States tasted through nearly 2,000 total entries and awarded medals to hundreds of wines.

North San Diego County’s Fallbrook Winery showed up prominently in the final tally. Read More

The “Stupidest” Lawsuit of the Year

I just couldn’t leave this one alone.

The “iconic” Lindsay Lohan is suing E*TRADE because one of the babies they use in their commercials shares her same first name.  Yep, for real!

I guess I didn’t know that Lohan now owns the rights to that particular name.  Maybe parents should be paying her royalties every time the legion of American Lindsays write their name on term papers, create a YouTube or Facebook account, or even-dare I say-get a job as a radio or television personality. Read More

Wine Pioneer Continues Trendsetting

While working on his M.A. in psychology, Eddie Osterland became fascinated with the world of wine. So much so that he altered career paths and became the United States very first Master Sommelier.

His unique story began in the 1960’s when wine in the United States was not what it is today. Truth be told, at the time there were actually more orchards than vineyards in the Napa Valley. To receive the best instruction available he would be forced to move overseas. Read More

Cheap Telluride Lift Tickets

Hi all,

As a Telluride regular, I am always asked about lift ticket deals.  Well, this is the best one available.  I’ve spent hours scouring the internet and local establishments alike, and I can honestly say this is the only real deal there is out there. 

You must by at least a week in advance no matter where you buy, otherwise you’ll be stuck with rack rates no matter what! Read More

Early Olympics Recap…with Wine

Isn’t is refreshing to watch athletes compete at the highest level of their sport and express the joy they have without pretense?

I was struck by an interview with Alpine Skier Lindsey Vonn as she politely and calmly answered all the questions she was asked with poise and charm…and with a conviction to be the very best.  Her passion was palpable.  Her commitment infectious.  She was simply being herself.  Expressing her thoughts.

Shortly thereafter, in the setting of a friendly Pro-Am in conjunction with the PGA Tour, Tom Brady started doing Read More

Family Winemakers of CA in San Diego

Sunday March 14th The Del Mar Fairgrounds will play host to the largest tasting of California wines in the San Diego area.

More than 240 family owned wineries will be on hand to pour samples inside Exhibition Hall at the 2010 Family Winemakers of California San Diego Tasting. Exhibitors will represent most wine growing regions from around the state, with the highest concentration being from Sonoma and Napa Counties. Owners and winemakers will be on hand to share their wines with the public at this one-of-a-kind tasting. Read More