Despite her 17 years in Atlanta, it’s surprising to hear Perrine Prieur Gallardo’s delightfully thick French accent. Perrine grew up in Burgundy, France, in a small village of 3,000. At 14, she traded her bucolic yet tedious family farm for culinary school. By 21, she’d whirled through some of the top kitchens in the world. Now a level two Court of Master Sommelier, mom of two, and wine shop owner of three, Perrine continues to pour her passion for wine over Atlanta and beyond.
Tell me about growing up in such an iconic part of French wine country.
My parents had a farm with cows and crops and a garden. We were always very handy, and we grew what we ate. As a little girl, I went to school with the daughter of the doctor, who looked fancier. My friends from the nearby town would play after school, and I would hop off the bus to go feed and clean the cows. I didn’t realize how cool it was until we had a field day and opened up the farm. All the kids said, “Wow! You do this every day?!”
When I was eight, my dad decided to diversify, and I helped him plant a six-hectare vineyard of a redesignated AOP (Appellation d’Origine Protégée) that a few local farmers began to revive. When I was twelve, my dad took his life in the vineyard. It was very traumatic, and life changed for all of us. My mom took over everything, and there were no more vacations from that point on. It was work, work, work, which is why I don’t mind working 16-hour days.
What made you shift to the culinary school trajectory?
I went to a private Catholic boarding school, and I did not want to be there as a teenager. My mind was always on something else when the nun taught us English. I loved cooking and working with my hands. So, when I was not able to move up to the next class, I enrolled in culinary school. Thankfully, the French system lets you do that when you’re 15. One day a week, I was dressed as a chef in the kitchen. One day, I was running front-of-house. The rest was spent learning the cooking and science parts. I thrived in that setting.
When did your passion for wine surpass your interest in food?
I didn’t notice the importance of fantastic wine when I was 15 or 16 because I wasn’t drinking much yet. But one night, when I was 17, everything changed. I was working a restaurant internship as an extra server. I had a table of Americans and I didn’t speak English, so I was doing my best to just take their plates and refill their water. They called me over during the dessert to order a 1945 Chateau d’Yquem.
The sommelier doubted me, and he double-checked that I had heard correctly. At the end of the meal, the table asked the somm to bring me over for a taste of the wine. The somm was furious. When I tasted it, it took my breath away. There were dimensions I had never experienced. The taste and the look on the somm’s face made me think: there is a whole world of wine out there.
Working in a two-Michelin-star restaurant must have been quite the experience. Tell me more!
Landing in London at Le Gavroche was eye-opening. We served the best of the best wines to a clientele that included princes. Some parties would come with security. We were a team of eight sommeliers. That’s a lot! Tasting, decanting, digestif trays, champagne carts, and even cigar service was part of the somm’s job. I was there for 18 months, and they didn’t learn my name until month six. I was exhausted by the end and moved home to Burgundy. I thought I might open a wine bar, but it just wasn’t time yet. I was 22, and I wasn’t ready.
And is that when you wound up in Atlanta?
So, I put my résumé online for a union of French sommeliers and quickly received an email from Joël and Nicolas from JOËL Restaurant in Atlanta. I didn’t even look where the job was. In my head, I was naively thinking, “Oh, America, so it’s like New York and Sex and the City.” A few interviews and two months later, I landed in Atlanta after my four-hour-delayed flight and slept in a shared apartment on the floor the first night. I thought, “This is NOT Sex and the City.”
But the work was exciting, and the first few weeks were filled with culture shocks like hearing so much accented English and getting used to huge portion sizes. I then passed levels one and two of the Court of Master Sommeliers. That was easy for me compared to working on my English! I had so much knowledge of French wines but needed guidance learning about American wines.
How was Perrine’s Wine Shop finally born?
After 18 months, the restaurant sponsored me for a green card, so I stayed. I wasn’t ready to leave America. I realized there was so much culture here but no boutique wine shops. Wine was always lumped in with liquor and beer, and no one could talk about the wines.
I’d walk into so many of these wine stores in the South in my mid-twenties, and I was ignored because I wasn’t a guy in his 40s playing golf. I wanted to create a wine-focused space that welcomed everyone.
What’s a common misconception people have about wine?
Sulfites are bad guys! People say sulfites give them headaches, but you get more from eating dried fruit. Sulfites are a natural compound in the grape that helps preserve the wine’s antioxidants. Some makers add sulfites during bottling so the wine can travel without spoiling. The giant wine companies abusing sulfites and other additives are not the makers I represent in my store.
Is there a current shift in the wine industry that excites you?
“Natural” wine isn’t new; however, in the last few years, we have seen natural faulty wines hit the market. This concerned me, as I’m traditional when it comes to wine, and I love it when I smell a wine, and it transports me to the place it was made. But I’ve had several reassuring conversations with the winemakers producing faulty wines. They’ve recognized the flaws and said it wasn’t the intended outcome. I’m excited to help my customers understand when a wine is faulty and shouldn’t just be passed off as “natural.”
What’s the best advice you’ve ever received, and from whom?
I was an anxious child, and I cared so much about what people thought of me — even through my teens. When I moved to Atlanta, Nicolas, my general manager at JOËL, told me to stop caring about what people think. You’ll never please everyone, so just do you, and don’t try to copy anyone else.
Aside from faith, family, and friends, name three things you can’t live without.
Wine, cheese, and bread! (That includes croissants.)
LIGHTNING ROUND:
Favorite “hidden gem” in the South: Thomasville, Georgia, and Sweet Grass Dairy
Favorite place to vacation: Skiing in Mont Tremblant, Canada. It feels like Europe, and my kids can speak French.
Favorite shop: Bill Hallman and Ann Mashburn
What’s on your bedside table: The Power of Moments, earplugs (my husband snores), lavender essential oil, a wine book, and a beautiful picture of my family in Mexico.
Go-to birthday present (to give): A terrarium from Le Jardin Francais
Thanks for chatting, Perrine! Visit one of the three ATL-area Perrine’s Wine Shops next time you’re passing through. More at PerrinesWine.com.
This FACES of Atlanta installment was made possible by Paragon Bank.
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