Kate Cunningham
Kate Cunningham’s By the Bottle wine bar has a new summer outpost. On Saturday, her popular bottle-focused wine bar will start a 90-day pop-up at the Fairlane Hotel, the swanky, 1970s-style downtown hotel on Union Street.
Cunningham’s model for a cozy, friendly wine bar has been to open in small hotels where she can share her considerable wine knowledge and gregarious personality with both locals and visitors. Cunningham’s longtime connections in the city allow her to bring in chefs and others for pop-up pairings and creative collaborations.
“I’ve been wanting to expand and grow and this is a great opportunity to do that," says Cunningham. "In true By the Bottle fashion, we wanted to partner with a hotel with integrity, and I love [Fairlane owners] the Oliver Hospitality Group, and I knew for a while now I wanted to try and get wine from by the bottle into more mouths."
By the Bottle started in East Nashville at Urban Cowboy and then moved to Van Dyke Bed and Beverage in Five Points.
At the Fairlane, By the Bottle will start as a wine-only spot, but Cunningham hopes to start incorporating some light bites along the way. She’s looking to collaborate with local chefs and possibly even some musicians to help use the stylish space to its fullest. “The space is beautiful,” she says. “It's like they just knew we'd be here one day.”
After this weekend’s preview, the pop-up will be open Thursday through Saturday 3-10 p.m., and Cunningham says there's potential to expand hours after she gets a feel for the new space. By the Bottle’s neighbors in the hotel lobby are homegrown bagel experts BagelShop. The Fairlane is located at 401 Union St.
