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NVLife_Feb_2014

JANUARY / F E B R UARY 2 0 1 4 35 M ROCKSTAR WINE: MAT KEARNEY’S VERSE AND CHORUS IS SOMETHING TO SING ABOUT MAT KEARNEY GREW UP IN EUGENE, Oregon with a “pinot field in my backyard.” He left the boom of Willamette Valley, to pursue musical dreams in Nashville. More than a decade later, he’s released several albums, had a #1 album on several Billboard charts (2011’s Young Love, which featured hits “Ships in the Night” and “Hey Mama”), and come full circle, creating a wine with friends from Peju Province Winery and John Anthony Vineyards.  After a performance in the Napa Valley, Kearney was interviewed by Ink editor Ian White. As the two discussed music, life, and wine, the idea of creating a wine together was born. Months later, White took his wife, Ariana Peju, with close friends John and Michelle Truchard to Kearney’s performance at Berkeley’s legendary Greek Theatre. After hours backstage, they agreed to make this vision a reality and soon Kearney was regularly visiting the Napa Valley and Verse & Chorus was in the barrel.  Working closely with White, Truchard, and celebrated winemaker Rob Lloyd, Kearney believes the process a true team effort. “It really became this team of people… we all fought for what we loved,” Kearney explains. After thoroughly tasting their way through various Bordeaux varietals, the group settled on a blend of 87% “beautiful Merlot” and 13% Cabernet Sauvignon. Truchard handselected the fruit from family-owned Napa Valley vineyards; the harmonious result is a big, elegant red.  Kearney says his brother Ben “drilled in his head” the importance of the right pairing to bring both wine and food to life. As such, Kearney suggests Verse & Chorus with big, bold flavors like Italian or BBQ, but points out that it will lend itself nicely to more refined flavors like lamb or pork loin, or even “the right fish dish.”  It’s important to note that this wine is a personal labor of love for Kearney. It’s not just that he wanted to find a wine he liked, put a label on it, and call it his own. Instead, he and his partners chose to be involved in every step of the process from “vine to blend.” His enthusiasm is contagious when he calls it “a big, warm, hearty, beautiful, delicious wine.”  White describes Verse & Chorus as “that magic blend of family-grown Napa Valley grapes, music, wine, and friendship.” Whole Foods Market seems to agree that it hits all the right notes, as the gourmet health food store selected it as one of their Top 10 Wines for Holiday 2013, calling it “wonderfully complex” with a “very long finish.” You can find it exclusively online (verseandchoruswine. com) and in Whole Foods stores. BY STACY SCALES THE VERSE & CHORUS TEAM, FROM LEFT TO RIGHT (ARIANA PEJU WHITE, IAN WHITE, BEN KEARNEY, MAT KEARNEY, ROB LLOYD, JOHN TRUCHARD)


NVLife_Feb_2014
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