Château de Bellet — Attraction in Nice

Went there today due to the good ratings here and on TripAdvisor. Don't know what other people have been experiencing but to us it was a total fail.

I have been to around 50 visits to vineyards and wine tastings in Germany, France, South Africa and Italy. I am not a sommelier but I have a pretty developed taste and know what I want and what is good value and not.

First, the good things: the little chapel on top of their building is beautiful and you have a great view over Nice. The host was nice and she took us around their premises for the tour giving you the 101 of wine making. Some additional Infos about the region and the soil. So far so good...

Where it went wrong: The wine tasting. For 20€ per person you expect a great tasting because if you have been around even big famous vineyards charge less because people usually buy a lot afterwards. We were served 3 different wines in the same glass. The comment from the host: "The way I do it you don't have to get new glasses." ??? If you know anything about wine that's not possible. I just think she did not like to clean too many glasses afterwards. I just took new glasses so not that big of a deal. The vineyard produces red, white and rose but we were served two whites (one for gastronomical use) and a rose. Since taste levels are different I choose not to comment not the taste but only the quality and value of wines. For 20.-€ a head you get one sip of each. The vineyard uses oak barrels which are less than 10 years old which results in my view in an unbalanced finished product. Acid levels of the white wines were way too high and no body to even it out. The Rosé is a matter of taste but I would qualify it as a niche product due to the unique taste and definitely not more than an average Rosé. Prices per bottle were around 20€ and 35€. For that price you get very decent wines at other vineyards. Needless to say that we left the place without even thinking to buy a bottle since price and quality were absolutely not matching up. I usually spend between 30-100.-€ per bottle so it was not due to the price but what you get for it.

To sum it up: you pay the 20 bucks of the tour & tasting to pay for the beautiful new modern building but not for the wine. Same thing with the wine. Half or third of the price would be closer to the real value of the wine. The fact that they produce a biological wine does not justify the price.

Final thoughts: If you usually drink Coke and know nothing about wine it's nice to drive up there and hang out on the veranda for free to enjoy the sight. If you want to have a great wine tasting experience I suggest you look up any of the big vineyards in that area which give you a qualified tour and...

This is a wonderful, small, organic winery in the foothills of the French Alps that is still within Nice city limits. This was the most informative and in-depth vineyard/winery tour I have ever taken. The tour went into painstaking detail about the winemaking process, from the soil conditions, to the harvest, to the wood quality of the barrels. I left way more educated about the wine-making process. The tour is followed by a wine tasting (you can also do the wine tasting without a tour). My tour guide, Julia, was amazing and answered all questions to the fullest. The wine shop and tastings are held in an lovely deconsecrated chapel built by the founding family overlooking the countryside. They also have a large terrace in front of the chapel where they sell wine by the glass. All the staff were very friendly and helpful. This is also relatively easy to get to. The Promenade des Anglais is only a 17 minute (10 km) drive away. You can take a city bus as well, but it is about a 12 minute walk from the bus stop to the wine shop. Tours usually require advance reservations, but wine tasting are walk-in ready. I highly recommend this winery, and especially the tour, to anyone...

We visit Nice regularly and yet there's never a shortage of new things to try. This time we visited Chateau de Bellet for a wine tour, tasting and to pick up some bottles to enjoy on our trip, to pair with typical Niçois meals we would be preparing. Hugo was a very enthusiastic, sweet and knowledgeable guide. The grounds, in the hills above Nice, where you can see the rolling hills, the far-off mountaints and the sea all at the same time, are stunning. The story of the place is interesting, heartwarming and worth learning. And, above all, the wines are delicious. We took an Uber from Nice and it was quick and easy - you don't need to do this with a separate tour guide if you prefer not to. Arranging for an Uber back to town took a tiny bit more time (we waited about 15-20 minutes, but while enjoying a glass of wine on their terrace), so you can imagine this was a non-issue. We will be back again with family and friends. Thank you to the team for the...