Bellet is a small appellation for red, white and rosé wines from the hills around Nice, in the Provence region of south-eastern France. Despite Provence's penchant for rosé, an even mix of all three colors is produced under the Bellet title.
The proximity of Nice to the border with Italy – and therefore the western vineyards of Liguria and Piedmont – is reflected in the style of Bellet wines and in particular the grape varieties used in their production.
The key white variety of Bellet is Vermentino, a variety originally from Liguria, but which now makes up 60% of all white Bellet wine. Vermentino's traditional Provencal name is Rolle, but the variety's recent rise to fame has been under its Italian name, so many producers (and even the appellation's legal documents) now refer to it as Vermentino.
The two principal varieties used in Bellet's red and rosé wines, Braquet and Fuella Nera (aka Folle Noire or Jurancon Noir) also strike a distinct Italian note. Braquet is thought by some to be the same variety as Brachetto, a grape that is common in Piedmont, while Fuella Nera is actually Folle Noire masquerading under an Italian synonym. The name Provence is a further link to the Italian connection, being a modern, shortened form of Provincia Nostra. This was the title chosen by Roman colonists in the second century BC, meaning 'our province'.
Four classic southern French white-wine grapes – Blanqueiron, Bourboulenc, Roussanne and Clairette – may be used alongside Vermentino in the white wines here, and also as minor ingredients in the rosés. Both Muscat Blanc and Chardonnay can also be used here, but only in the white wines. Cinsaut and Grenache play a supporting role to Braquet and Folle Noire in the appellation's reds and rosés.
Bellet wines are largely consumed by the local market, including the many thousands of tourists who visit Nice and the surrounding area each year. This makes the task of finding a Bellet wine outside France (or north-western Italy) something of a challenge.
The Bellet vineyards are as elusive as the wines they produce. Dotted between the houses and villas of the ever-expanding city, they are planted in the tightly-ridged hills which surround Nice to the north, east and west. Generally located on terraced sites, the vineyards occupy slopes too steep for any other use. Sadly, the already-small Bellet viticultural area (125 acres/50ha) is slowly shrinking every year, losing ground to more profitable ventures such as real estate and tourism.
A number of vineyard lieux-dits have been identified over the years. Their names sometimes appear on labels, but are not formally recognized as part of the appellation title. These are Les Seoules, Le Pilon, Le Grand Bois, Golfan, Les Cappans, Saint-Roman de Bellet, La Tour, Candau, Saquier, Saint-Sauveur, Gros Pin, Serre-Long, Cremat, Mont-Bellet (Cantagalet), Li Puncia, and Lingestiera.
