Some of the best summers are spent sipping rosé in the Hamptons. Just ask Jesse Bongiovi, son of rocker Jon Bon Jovi, who has been doing just that for the past few summers.
This year, he wants to introduce you to a taste of his family favorite with the creation of his own wine label, Hampton Water.
Photo Credit: Hampton Water Wine Co.
The 23-year-old Notre Dame graduate has been all smiles after recently receiving a 90 rating from Wine Spectator for his first wine. We caught up recently with Bongiovi to chat about the wine making process and going into business with his famous father.
How did the idea of creating your own wine label come about and why rosé?
The idea came from a late night conversation me and my dad had sitting on a porch in the Hamptons. He offered me a glass of ‘pink juice’ and rosé is the water of the Hamptons. I said to him, ‘You’re not drinking pink juice; you’re drinking Hampton water.’ Then I looked at him and said ‘we should do this.’ We knocked the idea around and I kept bugging him about it. He told me to look into it because he has a very successful career on his own, so I spent the next four months going to distributors and wine owners and designing a label and brought the idea back to him and he loved it.
What has it been like embarking on this first business venture with your father?
He’s a very successful businessman, so to be able to sit next to him is like a master class in business. He told me to come up with a business plan so that’s how it got started.
Your father has his own wine label. Have you always had an interest in wine?
Wine was always around. We almost always exclusively drank rosé. It was our drink of choice, but it’s not like I had a vast knowledge of the wine business prior to this.
What was it like working with Gerard Bertrand and why did you think he was best suited for the brand?
It has been amazing. His knowledge of wine is incredible, especially having two generations of wine making under his belt, and we knew we wanted it to be a French wine. He has been unbelievably informative. To be able to partner with a true master in wine making, I think he’s just a perfect partner.
Tell us about your launch party at the Versace mansion earlier this year.
That was a really great time. We wanted to do it early in the year to show you can drink rosé year round. It isn’t seasonal. The party was going on during the South Beach Food and Wine Festival, so that provided us with a great background for what we were trying to portray.
What has been the most amazing part of this wine making journey for you?
To see it come to life from the start and now have people come up to me and say they tried it and love it, that has been an incredible experience for me.
The Boston/New York rivalry has been going strong for nearly 100 years. How do you think Hampton Water will be received in New England?
(Laughs) Up in Boston, we had a great event when my dad played there. It’s not about a location, but more about a feeling. For me, it’s about where me and my dad had our first drink together and shared some of my fondest memories. It’s about a good time and having a good wine that can bring people together. Whether you are in Miami or Boston, you get the feeling that you are in the Hamptons. It takes you to that special place.
