The tiny village of St. Romain de Bellet is a true oasis in the bustle of the Côte d’Azur: vegetable gardens, olive groves and patches of vineyard cling to the hills rising steeply above the city of Nice. Standing here, just a few kilometers from the gleaming blue Mediterranean, it is easy to forget that this is where the Ancient Greeks planted the first vines on French soil several centuries before the common era. During the French Revolution, this quiet hamlet was renamed Bacchus in recognition of its wine-making stature.

The vineyards around St. Romain de Bellet constitute the AOC Bellet, one of the smallest appellations in France and the only AOC located entirely within the city limits of a single town.

The vineyards dot the hills just West of the city of Nice, at an altitude of 200 to 400 meters above sea level, on the left bank of the Var River. The southernmost vineyards are only 4 kilometers from the Mediterranean Sea, enjoying long summers and cooling sea breezes.

One of the oldest appellations in France (established in 1941), Bellet has a long history of... [...]