Katrina Effects On Wine Cellars

Yes, we know there was tragic loss of life and property due to Hurricane Katrina and the idiotic efforts (or the lack thereof) of Homeland Security, but New Orleans was well known for its fantastic restaurants as well. So, what about the wine?

Brennan's had arguably the best cellar in New Orleans. It had plenty of great wines at good (for a restaurant) prices. It also had some great wine history like an 1897 and 1891 Lafite. The sweltering heat that came after Katrina destroyed their entire cellar of wines, killing any chance for some guy with too much money to have a taste of such wines.

Now that Brennan's is trying to rebuild, thanks in part to a $1M insurance check, they are also getting donations from distributors and individual wineries. A great testament to the wine industry's heart and understanding of someone trying to bring something of value to the culinary world.

An additional note, Local New Orleans food writer Tom Fitzmorris has started a website that will help people see when restaurants re-open.

New Orleans restaurants re-open, cellars depleted or destroyed [Decanter]
Open Restaurants Listing [nomenu.com]

Comments

Anonymous said…

Because Brennan's had no apparent mechanism to ensure the safety of their cellar, that reflects poorly on Homeland Security. Wake up! It's not the feds' job to protect fools who don't take care of their own assets!

11:11 AM

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