The downtown Wilmington space that long hosted the respected fine-dining restaurant Deluxe will be home to a wine bistro by fall.

Two friends who met while working for a defense contractor plan about 200 labels and a worldly menu at Perkeo, 114 Market St.

Lynn Adkins, a program manager-turned-chef from Fredericksburg, Va., and certified sommelier Malissa Mashburn, a former analyst who served time in the U.S. Air Force and was born in Jacksonville, N.C., are readying 85-seat Perkeo for an early September opening, they said.

Neither has worked in food and beverage, but the pair said they became known among friends for staging fine dinner parties, and those friends often suggested the women open their own restaurant.

They traveled abroad, as well, tasting wines and foods along the way.

“We’ve been to a lot of places, and we kind of take things we like,” Adkins said.

“There won’t be anything on the menu that we haven’t had,” Mashburn added.

Wines will be sold by the glass and bottle, but expect some twists such as wine flights, wine-and-food pairing specials and, later, a self-service wine station, Mashburn said. She noted that she is interested in populating the list with small-production and lesser-known wines. 

Tapas, small and medium portions, along with full entrees will vary by season and touch on various cuisines including Asian, American and European, Adkins said. She mentioned crab soup, rockfish spring rolls and shrimp and grits.

Adkins’ husband, a former government parks and recreation district manager, is a partner in the business, too.

The trio said they want a relaxed space reflecting the easy coastal lifestyle that attracted them to Wilmington. Bright aqua paint trimmed in black covers Deluxe’s former dark-washed beadboard walls. Tan and cooper tones will balance the bright blue, Mashburn said. Water elements will be incorporated into the 3,600-square-foot unit, she said.

Perkeo is named for Perkeo of Heidelberg, an 18th century court jester born Pankert Clemens, who earned his nickname by seldom refusing wine. When asked if he wanted a glass, Clemens answered in Italian, saying “perche no?” (“Why not?”)

Deluxe closed in November 2012.