When not ducking into the carriage-house-turned-cellar where the 13,000-some bottles that make up the wine collection of the famed Brennan's in New Orleans are stored, wine director Braithe Tidwell can be found roaming Brennan's dining room, making sure every sip her guests imbibe is just right. Her style of Natural American Goodness follows her table to table and glass to glass, and it's a style she's happy to share.
Wine Director Braithe Tidwell has found her ultimate professional residence at Brennan's, joining the proprietors in their dedication to rebuilding the restaurant's legendary cellar by expanding the depth of its vintages. For Tidwell, her role does not only entail overseeing the 15,000-bottle cellar, but also championing the growth and education of her team.
Tidwell cut her teeth in the French Quarter opening Salon by Sucré, serving as Wine & Beverage Director. Originally from southern California [by way of Pennsylvania,] she began her study of wine as a back server at New York's Union Square Café, where the strong culture of staff education drove her to acquire as much knowledge as possible about the impressive list of Bordeaux, Burgundies, and California wines, with an emphasis on learning the vintages. Tidwell achieved Certification from the Court of Master Sommeliers, and she eventually worked her way up to become the Wine Director of Union Square Café, before moving on to the Brooklyn Wine Exchange, where as GM, she created its robust wine education program. She holds a BFA in Acting from New York University, about which she says, paradoxically, “I've never actually used it, although you could say I use it every day in the grand theatre that is fine dining!”
