The hills above Nice are filled with jaw-dropping villas and bougainvillea-framed panoramas of the Mediterranean. These hills are also home to France’s smallest urban wine appellation, Bellet. Comprising less than 150 acres of vines with fewer than 10 producers, Bellet wine is well known to locals but unknown to the world since it rarely leaves the area---the mere 120,000 bottle production is snatched up by Riviera wine-lovers and restaurateurs in-the-know.
Formed in 1941, the tiny Bellet appellation has a
unique terroir. At an altitude varying
from 600-1,200 feet above sea level, vines often cling to the hillsides in
terraced vineyards. Manual harvesting is
the only possibility in these inhospitable conditions. Soil, washed down from the Alps for millenniums, a mix of sand and rocks, provides a perfect drainage system for
grapes. Furthermore, Bellet is less than three miles as the bird flies from the Mediterranean so this allows its vines
to recuperate at night when the
marine influence brings coolness to the hot, dry daytime temperatures.
Bellet produces red, white and rosé wines. White grape varieties include Chardonnay and Rolle (aka Vermentino in nearby Italy). These two are often blended together creating a spectacular white not seen elsewhere in France. For reds, Grenache (one of southern France’s greatest grapes, e.g. Chateauneuf du Pape), is mixed with unknown native Riviera varietals such as Braquet and Folle Noire.
 |
| "I love cooking with wine....sometimes I even put it in the food." Julia Child |
Wine-Knows will be
visiting the Bellet appellation during its Week
in Provence at the villa where
Julia Child wrote her masterpieces,
Mastering the Art of French Cooking. There is only one seat remaining. For more information about
this special “Julia” trip, visit our website:
http://www.wineknowstravel.com/julia-2022-1-itinerary-2/
No comments:
Post a Comment