Jon Bon Jovi and French winemaker, Gérard Bertrand, have joined forces to launch a premium rosé wine label, Diving into Hampton Water, soon to be available in the US market.
The venture was inspired by Bon Jovi’s son, Jesse Bongiovi, former Notre Dame football player, who played a pivotal role in the brand’s creation. The idea to create a wine, emblematic of a bon vivant lifestyle, emerged during time spent in the Hamptons, between Bon Jovi and his son. Rosé, a popular drink for the Bongiovi’s, had initially been dubbed ‘pink juice’ by Bon Jovi, until Jesse and a friend inadvertently coined the name, Hampton Water, and an idea was born.
Bon Jovi and Jesse began exploring this idea as a real enterprise, designing bottles and building on concepts. They were eventually introduced to Gérard Bertrand by a mutual friend and the three quickly developed a shared vision, to create a unique rosé, uniting the essence of the relaxed lifestyles of the Hamptons and the South of France. “We’d tried rosé from everywhere,” says Jesse. “But when we visited Gérard, we realized that there is an entire coastline in France that is producing some of the best-kept secrets on Earth.”
Coincidently, Jon Bon Jovi and Gérard Bertrand, both giants in their respective fields, had a lot in common. “We just hit it off immediately,” Bon Jovi reports of their first meeting. “We found that we shared a love of family, food, friends, and of course, great wine and great music.” Gérard Bertrand hosts a jazz festival at his main wine estate, Château l’Hospitalet, each year. “For me the connection between wine and music is organic,” says Gérard Bertrand. “I want to create a link between the emotions that spark off a great song and good wine. They elevate each other.”
After a number of visits between the US and Gérard Bertrand’s wineries in the South of France, as well as numerous blending and tasting sessions, the wine is now ready for release. The wine is described as a fresh and lively rosé, with distinctive minerality, featuring Grenache, Cinsault and Mourvèdre, grape varieties characteristic of the French Mediterranean region.
Bon Jovi states, “Creating this wine with Gérard was just as creative as collaborating with another songwriter, Gérard uses his talents and wine knowledge just like a gifted musician. And working with my son on this has been an amazing experience.”
Diving into Hampton Water rosé wine is set to hit the shelves before spring 2018 and will retail for $25.
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