18 Aug Riding the wave of celebrity rosé – 2020 Hampton Water
Celebrity wine…in particular celebrity rosé… has exploded.
Check out the lineup.
Sarah Jessica Parker, Kylie Minogue, Sting,
Post Malone, John Legend, Drew Barrymore and,
when they were still communicating on good terms,
Brad Pitt & Angelina Jolie have all
associated their name and fame
to a version of the pink drink.
Are more celebrities getting involved in rosé
because the category is growing in popularity?
Or is the category growing in popularity
because more celebrities are getting involved?
Hard to say.
This much we do know: rosé is hot.
Wine.com says they sell nearly 700 rosés/pink wine products.
That’s a lot of clutter.
One way to cut through it all:
hitch your rosé to a star.
It’s Wine Thursday!,
our weekly look at a good wine that sells at a reasonable price
and is easy to find…at the store and online.
This week, we’re checking out one of
the many celebrity rosés currently on the market.
This version is produced…well, at least endorsed…
by a rock star and a rock star’s son.
Wine Spectator/Rick Wenner
Where it’s from
It’s been four years now since
Jon Bon Jovi and son Jesse Bongiovi
launched Hampton Water rosé…
but it’s Hampton in name only.
They aren’t growing grapes
and/or squeezing juice on Long Island.
This rosé is produced in Provence in southern France.
Specifically, it’s made in Languedoc,
the largest (and most unsung) wine district in all of France.
What it is
The copy on Hampton Water’s website
must be mentioned.
“The Hampton Water life is life perfected. The sun is never too hot,
the water is never too cold and the rosé never runs out.”
Now that’s marketing.
But is the wine any good?
It is.
The Bon Jovi team partnered with veteran winemakers
in Provence who blend Grenache, Cinsault,
Mourvedre and Syrah to create a rosé
that is true to the Provencal style.
It’s crisp, clean and medium-bodied with
strawberry and citrus flavors while showing
just the right amount of acidity.
It’s aged in French oak barrels…
not the norm in rosé production…
which results in a distinct minerality.
Is this wine an aspect of “life perfected”?
Of that, I can not say.
But I will commit to Hampton Water
being a well-balanced, pleasing pink wine…
an authentic representation of Provencal rosé.
Where to buy it
The 2020 Hampton Water is at Sam’s Club for $17.48.
The price at BevMo and Jewell Osco is $17.99.
It’s at Safeway and Total Wine for $19.99.
You can order it from JJ Buckley for $19.94
It’s at the San Francisco Wine Trading Company for $19.94
Wine.com lists it at $19.99
It’s the same price at Napa Cabs, $19.99
and ABC Fine Wines…$19.99