In this fast-paced, post-Covid world, there’s a movement to find joy once again in life’s simple pleasures and human connections. The French term ‘l’art de vivre’ – the art of living – captures this sentiment perfectly, so it’s fitting that rock legend Bon Jovi should team up with a French winemaking superstar to bottle this concept in wine form.
L’art de vivre, c’est quoi? If we look at what this concept means to the French, we’ll see that it’s something us Brits aren’t that good at; taking time to stop and smell the roses and paying attention to ‘glimmers’, which are brief moments of pure joy.
L’art de vivre means finding pleasure in small things like the first sip of coffee from your favourite mug, breathing in the smell of hot pavements as it starts raining or even the kick we might get from using the ‘posh’ dinner plates every day. The little things, it turns out, are not so little. They remind us that we are human, connecting us to the world and connection, it turns out, is what led Jon Bon Jovi and his son Jesse to collaborate with Gérard Bertrand on a project to create their very own ‘pink juice’.
Jon: The first connection for us is that the South of France shares a similar spirit with the Hamptons and Long Island in terms of enjoying communal, human moments and the simple, beautiful things. I was guilty of being way too obsessed with work for a long time. A bottle of pink wine with friends, however, became a release and relief. I loved the taste, the colour and it gave me joy. To me, the art of living is to remember that every day is a chance to make another great memory.
Jesse: Hampton Water captures the very essence of the art of living to us. It’s a simple lunch with friends, preferably by a pool or water, an eclectic playlist with all sorts of music mirroring all sorts of people and cultures, sunset, laughter and a delicious, rosé wine. We hope that this feeling is captured when you look at the bottle, which I designed back in 2016 and features a lady diving into water with the sunset behind her.
The label certainly could be a vintage poster in blue and white, framed by a sea of vibrant pink. It’s très Saint-Tropez, but with a Hamptons twist. Is the point that we drink with our eyes and the whole package is a work of art, priming us for sweet times ahead?
Gérard: Yes. This is an aspirational brand. At my wineries, we like to make the link between wine, gastronomy, culture, art and music and it’s the same in America’s best loved and most glamourous holiday spot. This is why it was given the name ‘Hampton Water’ as a link between the two. It captures a feeling – and this is the message in a bottle.
*Whispers* Wrong song!
Jon and Jesse: Ha ha ha!
You describe the wine as aspirational but also rebellious. What do you mean by that?
Jesse: Hampton Water is aspirational AND rebellious. We want to smash the perceived seasonality of pink wine and drinking it only in the summer. We want to show that rosé can be poured all year round – in the snow, with cheese, at Thanksgiving. It goes with everything and everyone! Pink wine is not just for girls.
As someone who regularly serves rosé with the main Christmas meal, with Asian cuisine, meat, veg and all sorts of things throughout the year, this is very much a message I can get behind. A question though: The name Bon Jovi or rather BonGiovi is originally Italian. What made you start in France?
Jesse: Well, we knew our wine had to be pink and we knew that the South of France was the best place in the world to go for it, so we did. And Gérard has been the best mentor, teacher and friend. We just rocked up and said ‘so, rosé. How does it work?!’ We’ve learned so much from him.
Why the Languedoc and not Provence, which seems to be the go-to place for celebrity wines?
Jon: It’s about attitude. Provence is a bit like the New York City of rosé wine that way. Languedoc, while also excellent, feels more accessible somehow. More relaxed. We liked that. After all, we are not NYC, we are Jersey!
That’s a good analogy – and speaking of wine analogies, or vinalogies as I like to call them, Gérard, to me as an ex pro rugby star, if you were a grape, I think you’d be Cabernet Sauvignon. This is the rugby player of wine grapes: Full-bodied, well-structured, arms like cedar trees and blackcurrant-coloured bruises… Jon and Jesse, if you were wine grapes, which would you be?
Jon: Ha ha, great question! I think I’d be Grenache: the foundation of the blend and quite soft, easy going.
Gérard: Jesse would be Mourvèdre because he’s spicy! Serious and spicy!
Jesse: I would be Mourvèdre yes, ha ha.
Two key grapes in your wine blend too! Hampton Water, as a blend, is a bit like a good rock band in some ways, where each grape plays its part. The result is a wine with complex notes that’s balanced and harmonious. An iron fist in a velvet glove, perhaps – very rock ‘n’ roll. It reminds me of your new collaboration with the Hard Rock Café, in fact. Could there be a better partnership?!
Jesse: I’ve become really passionate about finding new ways to tell this wine’s story and Hard Rock really works to bring out the wine’s rebellious side. It has history too and gravitas but doesn’t take itself too seriously.
Move over JD and Coke! Rock stars drink pink now. Just don’t mention ABBA…
Hampton Water 2022 (13.5% abv)
This, the fourth vintage of Hampton Water, is a blend led by Grenache with largely Cinsault and Mourvèdre harvested from Gérard’s vineyard sites in the Languedoc, southern France. It’s a gorgeously soft, elegantly floral, generous pink with notes of fresh peach, wild strawberry and a touch of pomelo with a refreshing, citrusy, mineral backbone.
This is a very easy wine to sip by itself as an aperitif but is complex enough to be paired with many kinds of food, from light salads and sushi to creamier fish dishes, gooey cheese and even, juicy, cheeseburger sliders.
Find Hampton water on Ocado for £19 or taste it in situ with a slider or three at London’s Hard Rock Café. See more about the wine at hamptonwaterwine.com.
Follow Helena Nicklin on socials @HelenaSips.
