First a little history about Nice’s Bellet Wine Region…
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.
So it’s a conundrum: you want to visit Nice’s Bellet wine region, tour the picturesque wineries and taste lots of wine, but the vineyards are spread out in the backcountry, necessitating a car, and driving the windy roads isn’t exactly compatible with the tasting, sampling, and savoring that is the whole point of the trip…
Want a taste? Here are 3 ways to spend a day in Nice’s wine region:
- 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!
- Self-Guided Tour Visit the wine region 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€.
Here are all the details for a self-guided tour, with schedule, tasting prices, and a suggested itinerary:
Catch the Vignobles de Bellet Navette Wine Shuttle which runs a continuous 80-minute circuit, starting from from near the Magnan tram stop in Nice (the bus stop is the third one, almost to the underpass).
After a scenic 20-minute bus ride up to the hilly vineyards, the first stop is the most famous, Chateau Bellet (pictured). The tasting room is the most beautiful in Nice, in the converted ancient chapel, and a terasse with panoramic views of the vineyards. You can do a simple tasting of 4 wines for 10€, or take an hour tour/tasting in English for 20€ (recommended) at 11am, 2pm, 3pm and 4pm. Reservations +33 4 93 37 81 57
When the shuttle passes again, the next stop is Pylones, for access to two wineries. Right at the stop you’ll see Domaine de la Source which is one of the few that doesn’t require reservations for a tasting or a visit (in English). Sally up to their rustic outdoor wine bar or have a seat in the lovely garden shaded by olive and fig trees. You can have wine by the glass for 10€, or do a tasting of 3 wines for 25€ (or for just 10€ more why not make it 6 wines?) accompanied by nibbles of crackers and cheeses to taste their olive oils and jams.
From here, a 5-minute walk down a rocky drive will bring you to the smallest winery on the hill, the family run Domaine de Vinceline. Reservations are a must because the whole family is working, but tastings are just 8€, tours are 25€ including the tasting, and they also offer a charcuterie and cheese platter to share for 12€ (but again, must reserve). This winery is the opposite of the slick larger ones, but if you ever fantasized about opening a winery, this will give you picture of what was involved to make Vincent’s passion a reality, as told by Celine (hence Vinceline). They live upstairs, and downstairs their little winery it is chaotic, creative, family-focused, born of a dream, and full of soul. +33 6 60 81 85 20 Celine’s English is basic so best for French-speakers.
When the shuttle passes again, it’s for a 15-minute drive to the other side of Bellet, to the Tennis de Cremat stop for the Domaine du Fogolar – Collet de Bovis winery for a tasting of 4-5 wines for 15€ . Reservations required jeanetmichele.spizzo @sfr.fr or +33 4 93 37 82 52. They offer rooms for rent if you want to stay over night and get the full experience, and they also suggest an E-bike tour starting from Nice, visit and wine tasting with an English-speaking guide: Bikeandwine.fr
More trivia: The Bellet 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 rose wines.
The next stop is named for the spectacular (and largest) Chateau de Cremat Winery. Tastings are 3 for 20€ or better yet, 6 wines for 25€, and for an extra 10€ they’ll give you a visit of the castle-like winery (in English). Reservations (especially if you want the tour) +33 4 92 15 12 15
The final stop is Raiola for Clos Saint-Vincent. Here, a tour (in English) and a 5-wine tasting are just 15€, but the timing is limited. Monday, Tues, Thurs and Fri you can show up without reservation between 2pm-6pm, but Wed, Sat, and Sun it’s only by rendez-vous. And if you buy 6 bottles the tour/tasting is free. +33 4 92 15 12 69
Now back to the Raiola bus stop, which is where the shuttle picks you up (hopefully not from off the floor…!) for the 30-minute drive back into town, and drops you off right where you started, just up from the Magnan tram stop.
The cost to take the wine shuttle is just the price of a regular bus/tram ticket (1.70€) but since you need to validate a voyage each time you board, it makes the most sense to just get the bus/tram day pass for 7€.
Here’s all the info in English and timetable… Pace yourself!
Cheers!
See related page: Best Wine Bars in and around Old Nice
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