The Perlant, an Atlanta-based private wine and social club, is set to open at 507 12th Ave. S. in The Gulch in fall 2027. Founder and CEO Christian Ries confirmed the expansion to WhatNow Nashville, marking the brand’s first location outside of Atlanta.
Ries said Nashville emerged as the natural next step thanks to its proximity to Atlanta, allowing him to remain hands-on as the company grows, while also tapping into one of the country’s fastest-growing cities.
“From a proximity perspective, while we’re scaling the business, I still need to be quite hands-on, so it made sense that we pick a location that’s a little bit closer,” Ries told WhatNow Nashville. “But more importantly, Nashville is a growing market. We felt it also has an underlying great wine community, and after doing a lot of research and talking to a whole bunch of people, we realized there were a lot of synergies.”
Inspired by Ries’ childhood near Stellenbosch, The Perlant is designed to recreate the feeling of escaping to wine country without leaving the city.
“The vision was, how do we bring the Stellenbosch and Somerset West experience into every major city?” Ries said. “When you walk through the doors in Nashville, you’re going to feel like you’ve stepped out of the city and into a completely different experience.”
Wine will remain the centerpiece of the Nashville club. Ries said members can expect the same caliber of program that has helped establish The Perlant in Atlanta, where the club currently features more than 6,000 bottles, including more than 500 wines priced under $100. The collection is curated by Executive Wine Director Elizabeth Dames, who will also oversee the wine program in Nashville.
“We will have the best wine program in Nashville,” Ries said. The food menu has also been carefully developed to complement the wine selection. Ries said Chef Jordan Sanchez, formerly head chef at Soho House Chicago, helped shape the culinary program in Atlanta, creating dishes intended to pair naturally with the extensive wine offerings. In addition to wine, the club will offer a full bar, coffee service and non-alcoholic beverages, along with a seasonally rotating menu.
“With good wine and a good setting, you naturally have to have good food,” Ries said. “But we really make sure that the star of the show is the atmosphere and the people.”
Community is another defining feature of the concept. Ries said prospective members are selected based on values of humility, generosity and kindness, with the goal of fostering meaningful connections through shared experiences.
According to the Nashville Business Journal, The Perlant’s Atlanta location has grown to more than 500 members since opening in January 2025. While Nashville is the company’s immediate priority, Ries said expansion won’t stop there.
“We will be expanding beyond that, but for now, the focus is to execute a wonderful experience in Nashville,” he told WhatNow Nashville.
