Jesse James Louis Bongiovi, the son of legendary singer-songwriter Jon Bon Jovi, is an American wine entrepreneur. After studying in New York and graduating from the University of Notre Dame, Jesse decided to create his own wine brand. In collaboration with his father and renowned winemaker Gérard Bertrand, he introduced Hampton Water rosé wine to the market in February 2018.
Quick Facts
- Age: 28 Years
- Family: Father – Jon Bon Jovi, Mother – Dorothea Hurley, Siblings – Jacob Hurley Bongiovi and Romeo Jon, Stephanie Rose Bongiovi
- Nationality: American
- Height: 1.76 m
Childhood & Early Life
Jesse was born on February 19, 1995, in the United States of America. He was raised in an upper-class neighbourhood of New Jersey. His father, John Francis Bongiovi Jr., or as he is better known, Jon Bon Jovi, is a singer-songwriter, actor, and frontman of the rock group Bon Jovi. Over the course of his four-decade-long career, he has released numerous studio albums, compilation albums, extended plays, and singles. He and his band have been nominated for various awards, including numerous Grammys. In 1991, he won the Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song for ‘Blaze of Glory’. As an actor, he has appeared in films like ‘Young Guns II’ (1990), ‘Little City’ (1997), National Lampoon’s Pucked’ (2006), and ‘New Year’s Eve’ (2011). He also played the recurring character Victor Morrison in Fox’s legal comedy-drama ‘Ally McBeal’.
Jesse’s mother, Dorothea Hurley, is a 4th-degree black belt in karate. She teaches the martial art in her home state of New Jersey. Jesse has three siblings, one older sister, Stephanie Rose, and two younger brothers, Jacob Hurley and Romeo Jon.
Education and Sports
At one point, he left New Jersey and moved to Manhattan. He began studying at Poly Prep in Brooklyn not long after that. Jesse has always been interested in sports. He was involved in Poly Prep’s football and lacrosse programs, earning two letters in the former sport and three in the latter. When he enrolled in the school, it had a 2-7 record. Playing under coach Dino Mangiero, Jesse helped his team to improve it to a 6-2 record. As a high-school senior, he took part in the New York City football all-star game. He was an all-conference midfielder in lacrosse. During high school, he was part of the Blue Key Society and SOUL Foundation.
After graduating high school, he started attending the University of Notre Dame’s College of Arts and Letters where he studied political science and business economics and was part of the Fighting Irish football team as a cornerback. He did not play any game as a freshman and was sidelined due to knee surgery during his sophomore year. In 2016, he made his college football debut on 26 September in a game against the University of Massachusetts Amherst.
Career
Jesse concocted the idea of launching a rosé wine brand during his senior year. The family has a house in East Hampton, New York, where they often spend their holidays. There is a running joke in the town about how rosé wine is essentially the water of the Hamptons. Jesse and his friends began referring to all rosé as “Hampton Water”. While he was sitting on the porch of the East Hampton House at 2 a.m. in the morning, his father came out of the house and asked him if he had any “pink juice”, which was Jon Bon Jovi’s own name for rosé. Jesse replied that he should call it Hampton Water as they were in East Hampton. On hearing this, his father was intrigued, believing they could put that in a bottle. Jesse subsequently designed the label and created a marketing idea for the brand. They reached out to renowned French winemaker Gérard Bertrand to be their producer. Bertrand liked their idea and agreed. In February 2018, two years since that early morning conversation between the father and the son, Hampton Water was launched.
Jesse is quite active on social media, especially Instagram. He regularly posts updates on his personal life and business on the platform.
Trivia
Of all his siblings, Jesse is considered to be the carbon copy of his father.