L to R: Jesse Bongiovi, Jon Bon Jovi, Gerard Bertrand (David Fritz Goeppinger)Jon Bon Jovi has officially graduated from wine consumer to wine maker. This week, the singer launched his new rosé, which he created with the help of his 23-year-old son Jesse Bongiovi and French winemaker Gerard Bertrand.
They debuted the wine, called Diving into Hampton Water, at a party at the Versace Mansion at the South Beach Wine & Food Festival in Miami.
Asked how much he knew about wine before taking on this project, Jon admits to the Miami Herald, “Nothing. Not a thing. I knew how to consume[it]. I thought you got rosé from mixing red and white together.”
But when his son had the idea to create a wine inspired by the family’s summers in East Hampton, Jon jumped at the chance.
“This is his baby,” he says of his son. “He pitched me this about 18 months ago, and we took it more seriously around June, when we started thinking, ‘OK, we can do this.’ The conversation deepened quickly.”
The three then teamed with French winemaker Gérard Bertrand to create the pink stuff, which is a blend of three French grapes. While Jon admits he’s no wine expert, he notes that he wouldn’t have gone along with the project if he didn’t believe in it.
“One thing I would never consider is putting my name on a wine that came from a region I wasn’t in love with,” he explains to the Herald. “As my tastes have grown and I’ve traveled the world, I found the French rosés are the best.”
Jon adds, “Gérard is a second-generation master in the field. We feel like we’re in short pants and a lunch box, going to school. He likes teaching us and sharing his wealth of knowledge.”
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