Jon Bon Jovi recently shared his insights with The Drink Business about his wine business, Hampton Water Wine, during a meet-up with winemaker Gérard Bertrand in London. Discussing the business’ success, the rocker shared how he wanted to move his company into Europe as soon as possible, stating:
“The success in America has given us a footprint in Europe… Six years in, and it’s not about hype, it’s critical acclaim.”
Discussing whether or not their growth is where they want it to be, he added:
“It’s very early on for us in France. Our distribution has grown dramatically, but we’re not where we want to be yet.”
Deciding to only release rosé wine for now, the Bon Jovi frontman was asked if there are any plans to expand the business with red or white wines. Stating that the brand is focusing on rosé, he explained:
“It [rosé] was this best-kept secret that I’ve known about for 30-plus years.”
Launched in 2017, Hampton Water received the top spot in the Spectator’s annual list. It was ranked 83 on the overall list and was one of only two rosés to be featured. It also recently gained a Gold medal at the Global Rosé Masters 2023. Bongiovi expressed his excitement about having got first place. He said:
“If you would have told me a year ago that we’d have the number 1 rosé in the world, I probably would have laughed. The reaction has been unbelievable, and we’re incredibly excited that people not only like the idea but now obviously love the juice that’s in the bottle.”
Although the idea was initially suggested in a joking manner, it seems that the business met with ‘critical acclaim,’ as Jon said. Since then, Hampton Water Rosé has been commercially successful, and even Jon’s son, Jesse Bongiovi, has made it clear by stating ‘how crazy the growth has been and feeling like ‘holding onto a rocket ship most days.’
