Iconic Jersey rockstar Jon Bon Jovi has put down the guitar and picked up a corkscrew. He, along with his son Jesse Bongiovi and premiere French biodynamic winemaker Gérard Bertrand, have created their own brand of rosé.
Diving Into Hampton Water is available at select stores in Manhattan and Long Island now for $25. Starting on April 1st it will be available for purchase in stores along the East Coast, Chicago and Nevada.
The creation of this wine has been two years in the making. It started one summer night when Bon Jovi and Bongiovi were drinking rosé on their front porch. “Dad offered me some more ‘pink juice’ and I told him, ‘dad it’s called Hampton Water’,” said Bongiovi. Bon Jovi jokingly said that would be a great name for a rosé and the recent business graduate couldn’t help but agree.
The next morning, Bongiovi brought up the idea to his dad again and with his sign off, Bongiovi spent the next few months channeling his summers spent on the Hamptons to create the concept and draw up design plans. They were then introduced to Bertrand through a mutual friend.
Bertrand is the number one French wine importer to the United States and makes some of the world’s best rosé. “I talked with Jon over the phone about his vision and concept for the wine,” said Bertrand. “Since then his family has visited the Languedoc-Roussillon region and we’ve become friends.”
Bertrand makes a variety of award-winning wines in his home region in the South of France. “In France we produce the best rosé in the world because of the terroir, climate and grape variety,” said Bertrand. The hell is “terroir”? It refers to the environment in which a wine grape is grown (the soil, topography and such).
The duo wanted to mix the lifestyle of the Hamptons and the lifestyle of the South of France by keeping it close to the ocean. With that in mind, a blend of Grenache, Cinsault and Mourvèdre grapes from the coasts of Narbonne to Montpellier, France were chosen.
Once the first bottles were ready, they celebrated their friendship and their new brand with a launch party at the legendary Versace Mansion (now Villa Casa Casuarina) in Miami Beach, Florida. Bottles of Diving Into Hampton Water were popped and a private Jon Bon Jovi concert was held last month.
The wine is French, the name is “Hamptons” and the party was in Miami, so it is truly an international rosé. “You don’t have to be in the Hamptons to enjoy it,” said Bongiovi. “It’s perfect for nights on the beach and days by the pool.”
