Jesse Bongiovi's Best Summer Yet
Jesse Bongiovi's Best Summer Yet
The Hampton Water cofounder (with dad Jon Bon Jovi) is fueling the season with love and freeflowing rosé
The Bongiovi family is gearing up for quite the summer.
On the heels of his critically successful four-part documentary, Thank You Goodnight, Jon Bon Jovi, rocker and co-founder of Hampton Water rosé is gearing up to open JBJ's Nashville, a honky tonk located on Broadway, the city’s music and entertainment hub.
Jesse Bongiovi, Bon Jovi’s son and co-founder of Hampton Water is also having a great year. Earlier this month, he wed his longtime sweetheart, Jesse Light (in the same Vegas chapel his parents got married at in 1989), and is the co-creator of Hampton Water, one of the world’s most popular rosé wines, which launched in 2016.
Although there’s a celebrity name behind the wine, it’s a serious business — and a great wine. Wine Spectator has given a 90-point rating for the 2022 and 2023 vintages, and a 90-point rating for the 2020 vintage. In addition, the 2023 vintage has also been included on Wine Spectator's Top 100 list. Add in the fact that the wine currently sells for just under $20 at your local Target and this pale pink liquid could just be summer’s best drink. Bongiovi agrees: “We wanted it to be a bottle that anyone could pick up and enjoy,” he says.
Bongiovi said his idea for a rosé came to him when he was a 21-year-old hosting pool parties at his parent’s home. “We were having pool parties and bonfires and we were drinking Yes Way rosé, but I preferred the stuff I borrowed from mom and dad,” Bongiovi said a friend came out with a bottle of Whispering Angel. “Everyone said don’t touch that, it’s for company although it was like $20 a bottle at the time. What that signified to me was that the brand wasn’t speaking to the younger consumer although we wanted a good drinking wine.”
Bongiovi then had the idea that if you could bottle a high-end French liquid in a bottle with a cool name and a pretty label, it would go a long way.
He brought the idea to his rocker dad who had one suggestion: Make a high-end product with a good price point. “My dad wanted it to have accessible aspiration,” he says, adding, “We wanted to create something that over-delivers when it comes to a quality product but was affordable.”
The father and son partnered with Gérard Bertrand, a French winemaker who resonated with the Jersey boys for his down-to-earth attitude toward winemaking. “My dad often says that he loves Bertrand because they both have a chip on their shoulder,” says Bongiovi.
Bongiovi says he could go to great lengths about the process of creating the exact blend that became Hampton Water, but in the end what’s important is the fact that the end product is exactly what they meant to create: A wine that’s approachable and delicious. “To me, the most important part is that my sister loves it and my aunt loves it. We wanted to create a brand that people want to make memories with,” says Bongiovi.
The story doesn’t end there. In the competitive world of wine, Bongiovi finds himself traveling the country to conduct tastings. When we spoke on the phone, he was in Minneapolis, making the circuit of wine events. “I spend the time to go work the wine. It can’t be just something that you hope takes off or your retail partners will get stuck with it,” he says, adding, “The average 23-year-old isn’t going to walk into a wine store and say, tell me about your favorite Chardonnay. You have to make it fun and approachable.”
The company is certainly trying to make Hampton Water more fun than the average wine, even pairing it with spirits to make cocktails. “We did an awesome partnership with Dos Hombres. You’d never think those two things would go together so well,” says Bongiovi.
Of course, it doesn’t hurt that your co-founder happens to be one of the world’s biggest rockers (and heartthrobs) who occasionally takes to Instagram to display his love of the product.
At the end of the day, however, Hampton Water is not just another liquid that a celebrity slaps his name onto and forgets. The company has plans to expand the Hampton Water brand. Bongiovi said it’s too early to announce, but news would be released before the end of the year. “It’s something that I think will be very cool and will play off the vibe of Hampton Water.”
The liquid is also another way for the Bongiovi family to continue their philanthropic activities. Hampton Water works with various charitable partners to support them with a portion of proceeds from the wine, including the Pink Agenda, which supports breast cancer research, the It Gets Better Foundation, which helps LGBTQ+ youth; and Ocean Blue Project, which helps clean plastic out of waterways. In November, they’ll support Wreaths Across America, which helps place wreaths on veterans’ tombs.
To kick off the 2024 summer season of wine, sun, and romance, Jesse Bongiovi will serve Hampton Water at Dan’s Rose Soiree on Sunday, May 26 at 2036 County Road 39 in Southhampton.
Guests will enjoy free-flowing rosé from around the world, along with craft beers, specialty cocktails, and food from top chefs around the New York area. VIP ticket holders will also enjoy a Hampton Water-infused after-party. Tickets start at $149 and can be purchased here. Says Bongiovi, “It’s a great event and a great kickoff to summer. It’s an awesome time to get out, enjoy the season, and drink rose for a great cause.”
Jesse will also be traveling the country for the Hampton Water 2024 Summer Tour, which stops at a host of major cities. Attendees who dress in pink will be rewarded with wine, merch, and surprises. To find out if Hampton Water is coming to your city, visit hamptonwater.com.