Last Updated on October 26, 2025 by Allison Coe
Before becoming America’s 3rd President, Thomas Jefferson visited Nice in 1787 when he was the US Ambassador to France. His trip was focused on finding agricultural innovations that he could employ back in the US, and as such he toured the vineyards of Bellet.
He loved the wines but absolutely flipped for the wines of Chateau Bellet, calling them the best wines in the world. From then on and throughout his Presidency, he had 100’s of bottles a year shipped from Chateau Bellet in Nice to his Monticello estate in Virginia. In a letter from 1819, he wrote that the Bellet wines were still the best he’d ever tasted!
Maybe it’s because the Bellet wine region features two red grape varietals that exist only here: Braquet and Folle-Noir (which means crazy black!), and these must be the principle grapes in all AOC Bellet red or rosé wines.
Want a taste? Here are 4 ways to sample Nice’s wine region:
Most Economical: Self-guided tour on the city-sponsored Nice Weekend Wine Shuttle! Every Saturday in June and September, and Fridays and Saturdays in July and August, catch the Vignobles de Bellet Navette Wine Shuttle which runs a continuous 80-minute circuit, starting up the street from the Magnan tram stop in Nice. Each ride is the cost of a normal bus ticket, but since you are getting on and off, it makes the most sense to just get the bus/tram day pass for 7€. Click the link above for all the details, schedule, tasting prices, and a suggested itinerary.
Mix some Sport with your Wine: Two local companies offer English-language guided group e-bike tours through the vines, punctuated with tours and tastings. eBike the Vineyard Tour offers a 5-6 hour trip including a private Bellet vineyard tour, a wine tasting, and time to picnic amongst the vines. Domaine de Fologar recommends Bikeandwine.fr.
Most Deluxe: Just book a private car and driver with Friend in France… They’ll make the reservations and liaise with the wineries, and you just taste and tour to your heart’s content …and fill up that trunk with your finds as you go!
Or just kick back and taste your way through the Bellet wines in some of the best wine bars in Nice!
Cheers!