Jesse and Jon Bon Jovi shared a vision to shake up the wine category with a wine brand that is unlike any other. The two, along with friend Ali Thomas, created the full concept of Hampton Water and brought on famed French winemaker, Gérard Bertrand. The impressive team made a rosé that perfectly blends the best French wine and the Hamptons laidback style–Hampton Water rosé.
"Most of my youth, my summers were spent going out to East Hampton {Long Island, New York} and having bonfires on the beach, doing BBQs at friend’s houses, pool parties," says Jesse. "That part of the world just has a magic to it. I loved it. I started to realize as I met Gerard and as I traveled with the brand, although the Hamptons is the geographical location that inspired the brand, that feeling - friends, family, BBQs, hanging by the pool, going to the beach - exists everywhere. I was just in Hanover Germany, sitting by the lake, having a glass of Hampton Water, and I said to the owner of the restaurant 'You might not know what the Hamptons are, but this is it. This is what we’re talking about. Boats going by, people swimming in this lake, we’re having an incredible lunch, this is the thing. This is what we are talking about the pursuit of. It brings me so much excitement when you think about how that feeling exists everywhere."
That vibe, along with the soft notes of strawberry and citrus taste, and the beautifully designed bottle, has launched Hampton Water wine to become the number three selling premium rosé in the U.S. "I think there is an exciting and growing space in the category that is only now starting to hit its stride across the U.S.," says Jesse. "In a category that has existed for 25 years, the seasonality of rosé has completely gone away in the last five or six years. This category is here to stay. And there's a ton of opportunity ahead of us in rosé."
So how does a celebrated rockstar enter into the rosé wine business with his son? "It wasn’t so much me and my dad trying to become sommeliers," says Jesse. "We were just always big fans of rosé. I was 21-years-old, going into my senior year of college, and my buddies started drinking lots of rosé one summer. It clicked for me that they weren’t exactly wine drinkers. We were drinking tequila and we were drinking beer and then we started drinking rosé, and I realized many of them were intimidated by the idea of going into a wine store and picking out a great French rosé. My parents were big rosé drinkers - it was always what we served, the drink of choice and was always around. My friends were curious about rosé but didn’t know where to start with wine. My whole idea was that if you could create a high-quality French rosé like the stuff my parents were drinking and market it towards what my friends were picking up, which was often California rosés (which weren't very good from a quality standpoint but had beautiful labels and great stories) and marry those two concepts, you could really go after this category of drinker that was intimated by buying a bottle of great French wine. So when we partnered in 2017, we had just put too many of the pieces of the puzzle together to not give it a real try."
How do the father and son like working together? "The great thing is from day one, it has been a great partnership," Jesse says. And I didn't wake up one day and say 'I want to start a rock band.' He would tell me exactly how to do that and all about that process and we'd have a very different kind of relationship. Now it is a real even partnership. We've learned together. I also think he enjoys being able to defer to me on stuff. And the incredible part for me is to be able to call someone all the time at all hours of the night that has put together a 40 year business and has risen to the highest levels of that business. You have to be pretty astute to do that. To have that in my back pocket, is awesome. And it's brought us even closer together."
And of course, JBJs is going to be carrying Hampton Water Wine. "It is a great spot. I love Nashville. I have had some epic nights in Nashville. Go up on that beautiful JBJs roof deck, have a glass and overlook the city." HamptonWaterWine.com
A few questions with Jon Bon Jovi
You and your son Jesse have been collaborating on business ventures for a while now. What's your relationship like? It’s fantastic. He’s done an incredible job with Hampton Water and I'm very proud of his achievements with the brand. I’m just there to sample the goods.
What's the next father/son business venture? I can’t wait to find out!
Where did you get the idea for JBJs? Was it something you always wanted to do? We’ve made records in Nashville and spent a lot of time in town so it’s really a part of the band’s legacy. We had some business colleagues that knew the area and there was a potential space available and all the stars just seemed to align.
What made you decide on a Nashville location? It was really about the location and then the fact that Nashville is such a great music town and place where we have a lot of great Bon Jovi memories.
Any plans (or surprise visits) for the band to come perform at JBJs in the future? We performed at the opening of JBJs but you just never know….
"My family is very much involved in giving back. Doing good while doing well is something I grew up around. Hampton Water has a number of charitable partners."
"My dad and I have a great partnership. The good thing is I didn't wake up one day and say I want to start a rock band."