We love this father and son duo.
And it has nothing to do with music. It has to do with wine.
Rock icon Jon Bon Jovi, his 23 -year-old son Jesse Bongiovi and French winemaker Gérard Bertrand were in Miami for the South Beach Wine & Food Festival to launch their new rose wine, Diving into Hampton Water.
The three met at Casa Casuarina on Friday afternoon, showing off the elegant bottles filled with the pink elixir. It’s a mix of Grenache, Cinsault and Mourvèdre grape varieties.
So what did Bon Jovi know about wine before starting this venture?
“Nothing. Not a thing,” admitted the “Livin’ on a Prayer” singer. “I knew how to consume. I thought you got rose from mixing red and white together.”
The idea was hatched by Jesse, who enjoyed the family’s summers in the East Hampton more than the average beachgoer.
“Something about that beach lifestyle and this wine. It just fits,” he said.
“This is his baby,” Bon Jovi 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 wine had to have dad’s stamp of approval.
“One thing I would never consider is putting my name on a wine that came from a region I wasn’t love with,” said the New Jersey native. “As my tastes have grown and I’ve traveled the world, I found the French roses are the best.”
Winemaking is a lot different from putting on a concert.
“I mean Gerard 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 teaches us and sharing his wealth of knowledge.”
JBJ is also overjoyed to be able to work with his son.
“It’s fun. We’re 100 percent committed. It’s the way I go about everything else. I’m all in.”
Holding the event at Gianni Versace’s house seemed appropriate. Bon Jovi and the slain designer go way back. He actually modeled for the Italian fashion house years ago.
“I loved Gianni,” said the rocker, who later gave an acoustic concert out by the iconic pool. “It still breaks my heart what happened here. But I have beautiful memories of him and his family. I feel like a great spiritual blessing. I’m sure Gianni would have loved this wine and even hosted this party. He would have done it his way.”
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