Do you know Marselan? I think I’ve heard of it, but I’ve never tasted it, and I don’t know anything about it. It’s time to explore. Thank you to Red Wine, The Comprehensive Guide to the 50 Essential Varieties & Styles for their help with this article.
The History of Marselan
Marselan reminds me of Petite Sirah. The two grapes were created to accomplish important things that didn’t work out so well initially. According to PS I Love You, in 1880, “Dr. Francois Durif, a grape botanist and grape breeder at the University of Montpellier in Southern France, released a new variety that he named after himself. It grew from a seed he extracted from fruit of the old French variety Peloursin. Dr. Durif didn’t know the pollen source at the time, but we now know that it was Syrah. The combination of Peloursin and Syrah resulted in fruit with saturated color and very dense fruit clusters.” I believe he was trying to create a Syrah-like grape that wasn’t prone to mold.
The problem with his endeavors was that the wine in France tasted bad. But guess what. When the grape showed up in CA under the name Petite Sirah, it tasted great.
Marselan was created in 1961 by Paul Truel, who wanted to cross Cabernet Sauvignon with Grenache to “yield large grapes that could produce a large amount of juice for wine production.” Sadly, he ended up with small berries, so he didn’t move forward. “Subsequent researchers were looking for disease-resistant varieites in 1990, and Marselan got a second chance for its ability to shun molds and mildews.”
The name Marselan comes from the town Marsellan where it was created. This town is on France’s Mediterranean cosast.
The grape has only been recognized as its own variety in 2007. So, it is very new to the American market.
Where Is the Grape Grown?
More than 3,000 acres are grown in France, mainly in the Rhone Valley and Languedoc regions. It can be found in other parts of the world as well.
Interestingly, it has become very popular in China.
What Does Marselan Taste Like?
Vin de France tells us that “As Marselan de France berries are very small, the quantity of juice produced is limited (around 160 kg/hl). Marselan is thus used to make colorful, characteristic wines of high quality. They are strong, aromatic and have a very interesting structure that features soft tannins without bitterness, enabling them to age for some time. Marselan is thus a variety that combines the strengths of both Cabernet-Sauvignon and Grenache.”
Eleanor Wine Academy goes on to say that “Marselan gives blackberry, blueberry, and plum flavour to the wine. 
Notes of vanilla can also be present if the wine is fermented. 
The Marcelan grape variety also gives a good colour to wines and contributes for a medium-bodied with tennis taste.”
They suggest having this wine with pork, black bean stew and lightly spiced vegetable stew.
I would love to hear about your experiences with this grape.
