FrontRowSociety wine expert Annett Conrad conducted an interview with Jesse Bongiovi, the son of singer Jon Bon Jovi. Together with France’s famous winemaker Gérard Bertrand, the two have launched a rosé called Hampton Water. The question now is how the celebrity wine will be received and what fruit the collaboration will bear.
Exclusive interview with Jesse Bongiovi about his first wine, Hampton Water
Gérard Bertrand, his name is music to the ears of many prominent musicians. This may ostensibly be attributed to his masterful wines. However, he gained recognition when his wines accompanied the MTV Music Video Awards ceremony at New York’s Madison Square Garden in 2016. Since then, he has been considered an ambassador of the Languedoc region.
Annett Conrad: How was the collaboration with Gérard Bertrand?
Jesse Bongiovi: The collaboration with Gerard has been incredible. When we first came to him with the idea he explained that if we were going to have success we would need to create a serious wine that would stand the test of time. Four 90 point ratings later from Wine Spectator and the #3 selling rosé in the US I would say he was right. He has been a great teacher, friend, and partner.
Annett Conrad: Were you initially worried that Hampton Water would not be taken seriously?
Jesse Bongiovi: There have been many „Celebrity Brands“ that are here today and gone tomorrow and when we first launched there was certainly a worry that we would fall into that category. However, once we would explain to people that Gerard was making the wine, where he was growing the grapes, the time and process of making it special and of course getting the rating we did. People started to pay attention. All of that complied with the fact that we never tried to market Hampton Water like other celebrity brands in the past. For us this is a family business that is built on quality and consistency.
Annett Conrad: How do you think the brand will develop?
Jesse Bongiovi: We have always seen Hampton Water as a lifestyle brand. Because of that we try to think out of the box. Simple things, like creating partnerships with bartenders to make unique cocktails allow us the opportunity to get the brand in front of people that otherwise would be intimidated to try a rosé. We intend to continue to innovate and push the boundaries of what rosé can be.
Annett Conrad: Are there plans for other wines or a second rosé?
Jesse Bongiovi: We believe that the rosé wave is only continuing to grow and spread across the globe. Therefore, we intend to remain in the rosé lane, but you will have to wait and see what we have coming next.
Annett Conrad: The brand is also involved in some charitable causes. What are they?
Jesse Bongiovi: As a company we believe that if you are doing well, which we are, you have a responsibility to do good. For us that means working with those whose mission is to help others. We work with a number of charities from Jose Andres at World Central Kitchen, to The Pink Agenda, which helps those battling breast cancer. All of these different groups and causes are both near to our hearts and connect with our brand and consumer. Most importantly they are on the front line of some of the most important issues of our day, and they are making a difference first hand.
FrontRowSociety would like to thank Jesse for taking the time to do this interview and for his insightful answers.
FrontRowSociety editor Annett Conrad conducted the interview with in January 2024. These are the original, unedited answers.
Here you will find the Jesse Bongiovi interview in German.
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