NOLADrinks Show – 9-24-18 – South African Wine at Brennan’s

On this week’s The NOLADrinks Show with Bryan Dias, we pay a visit to the iconic New Orleans French Quarter restaurant, Brennan’s! We talk, mainly, about South African wines in the establishment’s terrific wine room. We’re joined by Wine Director, Braithe Tidwell. Family member and manager, Patrick Brennan, and Executive Chef, Slade Rushing also stop by.

Pictured above from left – Brennan’s Executive Chef, Slade Rushing, Wine Director, Braithe Tidwell, and Bryan Dias of NOLADrinks.

We start the show off talking about this week’s show as well as a bit on next week’s installment. We’ll be joined by our resident beer experts, Matt and Sal, and we’ll discuss the world of “sour” beers. We also talk about a terrific event happening this Friday – the New Orleans Museum of Art’s “Love in the Garden.”

Then, we head over to the famed French Quarter restaurant, Brennan’s, and into their beautiful wine room! The primary topic of our chat is the wines of South Africa. Braithe Tidwell, Brennan’s Wine Director, recently returned to New Orleans from a trip to that country. She toured wine country and participated in a wine showcase event held in Cape Town. We also set the stage for South African Wine Week taking place here from November 7th through the 13th at various venues around town and put on by Wines of South Africa US.

Braithe, along with Patrick Brennan (at left, far left), a family member and front-house manager, who grew up in and around the Ralph Brennan restaurant group, join us to start. Patrick is a big fan of South Africa and its wines. He spent time there, first, doing a culinary internship several years ago, and then, on his recent honeymoon. We talk about some broader concepts regarding the South African wine industry including quality, price, and some historical context.

Then, award-winning Executive Chef, Slade Rushing, joins Braithe and I to talk further about the wines. We also talk about some of Slade’s approaches to flavor, pairing wines with his cooking, and how he and Braithe collaborate – and often challenge each other! Also, this first segment with Slade and Braithe is viewable on our IGTV channel here!

Braithe and Slade stick around for our podcast-only “Another Shot with NOLADrinks” segment. We taste and discuss a few exemplary wines from South Africa and chat about some pairing ideas with Chef Slade suggesting some dishes and approaches he might take with each.

We close things out with our “Parting Shot” talking about ideas for developing your own skills with food and wine pairing, how to evaluate wines, and ways to practice!

You can subscribe to, stream, and download The NOLADrinks Show podcast using the player and links at the top of this post. The map below shows the location of Brennan’s.

Cheers, You All!

~ Bryan