Hot Blood Wine, Warm Nights, Cool Blues Converge at the Proving Ground at the Jersey Shore

Photo by R.C. Staab

The sun was sliding on the Bay Shore, glasses of red and gold wine caught the last light, and on a small stage at Proving Ground in Highlands, JJ Julius Son picked up an acoustic guitar. If the name doesn't ring a bell, his voice will — Julius Son fronts KALEO, the Grammy-nominated Icelandic band behind "Way Down We Go," the moody, foot-stomping anthem that's been inescapable on radio, TV and film trailers for the better part of a decade. That August evening, the frontman traded arena-size sound for something more intimate: a solo set, a waterfront sunset and bottles of his own wine.

KALEO formed in 2012 a small town about 20 minutes outside of Reykjavik, Iceland where JJ Julius Son linked up with guitarist Rubin Pollock, bassist Daníel Kristjánsson, drummer Davíð Antonsson and harmonica player Þorleifur Gaukur Davíðsson. Their blues-soaked, foot-on-the-monitor rock sound turned out to travel well: "Way Down We Go" hit No. 1 on Billboard's Alternative Songs chart, went double platinum in the U.S. and even landed in Grey's Anatomy.

Two years later, KALEO scored a Grammy nomination for Best Rock Performance for "No Good," a song Julius Son wrote in a matter of days after Martin Scorsese and Mick Jagger called asking for something for HBO's "Vinyl.

JJ at Proving Ground. Photo by R.C. Staab

Mini Concert from JJ Julius Son

By the time he sat down at Proving Ground at Highlands along the Bay Shore, KALEO's quick summer American tour was already winding down, with stops in New York, Washington and Philadelphia before the band regroups for European festival dates, including one in Portugal where, fittingly, the wine sells briskly, too.

Wine turned out to be Julius Son's second act. He connected with Robert Wessman, an Icelandic businessman who bought vineyards in France's Bergerac region, just east of Bordeaux, and built them into Maison Wessman — a winery whose orbit also includes Norah Jones as a co-owner and a champagne project with NBA star Tony Parker.

Julius Son and Wessman had crossed paths for years — JJ played Wessman's wedding at the winery — before either realized they'd grown up in the same small Icelandic town. "It was written in the stars that I ended up working with Robert," Julius Son has said. The two spent the summer of 2024 blending barrels at the estate and launched the finished wines — Hot Blood and Raven — at the WineParis trade fair in February 2025.

The lineup splits into two Chardonnays and two red blends. Hot Blood White ($17), a Pays d'Oc Chardonnay and Hot Blood Red ($17), a Bergerac blend of Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Malbec. White Raven ($22), a Limoux Chardonnay inspired by Julius Son's taste for bolder California whites, and Raven Blood ($22), a Merlot-Cabernet blend round out the more polished pours. Every Hot Blood label hides a QR code unlocking "One More Glass of Wine," an unreleased JJ track — a song he played at the Providing Ground.

Photo by R.C. Staab

Affordable Wine from France's Bergerac Region

Affordability mattered to Julius Son from the start. "I wanted to make wine for just a regular consumer or a fan that is coming through a show, or just trying to enjoy a weekend dinner at home," he said. "The main goal is to make some really high-quality wine that we can sell at an affordable price for everyone."

John Williams, who works Maison Wessman's U.S. experiential sales team, puts the Bergerac pitch more bluntly: "It's good juice," he said of a region he describes as an emerging, better-value neighbor to Bordeaux. He's also clear the wine isn't built for a shelf. "This is really an experiential wine," Williams said. "You have to understand the story — sitting on a shelf doesn't do it justice."

Photo by R.C. Staab

That's part of why Proving Ground made sense as a stop. Owner Jack Manousos opened the waterfront restaurant in 2018 on a site with its own colorful backstory: the name nods to the old Fort Hancock Army base across the bay where soldiers once test-fired missiles to prove they worked.

Beyond Highlands, Hot Blood and Raven are pouring at members-only Stork Club lounges around New Jersey and Pennsylvania and at Maddy Rose, the riverfront restaurant in New Hope, Pennsylvania. The brand is pushing into Florida, Texas and California. The wines are sold in Iceland as well. Travelers can even find mini bottles poured on Icelandair flights.

So next time "Way Down We Go" comes on, consider pouring something a little rock 'n' roll to go with it — no arena required.