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Producers have been converted to Marselan for its disease resistance, making it easier to grow in organic and sustainable viticulture, as much as for its appealing fruitiness. The majority of Marselan is still found as part of a blend, which makes for an easier introduction to the variety. Consumers still need convincing about purchasing an unknown varietal, with many people cautious about Marselan’s lack of noble history and the fact that it’s a cross. However, there is some wine sold as a varietal, with markets such as the UK showing enthusiasm.

Varietal Marselan appears under the Pays d’Oc IGP label, but producers have experienced challenges selling it. JeanFrançois Orosquette of Château la Grave in the Langedoc finds it easier if he can convince buyers to taste the wine first, but selling still concentrates on his domaine’s reputation rather than varietal qualities. Pierre Sibille, of Domaine Sibille in the Languedoc, says Marselan is interesting to sell, precisely because it is so unknown and always takes the taster by surprise when they discover its quality and character.

Marselan was admitted in small quantities in the blend under the Côtes du Rhône appellation in 2011, which, according to Gabriel Jouve of Domaine de la Catherinette, has helped when selling its Marselan IGP Gard. Sommeliers play a useful role in introducing the variety to customers, although Stéphanie ForestRiffaud from Domaine VillepeyrouxForest in the Langedoc has only once had a customer (a restaurant owner) refuse to list the wine, specifically because Marselan was a cross.

Other wineries incorporate Marselan into their personal story to help boost sales. Caves Richemer, based near Marseillan, promotes Marselan as its signature local variety to tourists, especially as rosé, and also sells it in a bag-in-box format in Sweden.

Josep Serra of La Vinyeta, in Emporda, Spain makes a co-fermented Marselan and old-vine Grenache Gris, called MigMig. It sells on quality and, on the story of blending his and wife, Marta’s, youthful, innovative personalities with the tradition of the vineyard. Ido Lewinsohn MW, head winemaker at Barkan, Israel, sees his market for Marselan as being open-minded, involved, younger consumers. Often the same audience will try other lesser-known grapes such as Petit Verdot – anything but Cabernet.

It is really Marsellan’s disease resistance that has won it fans, although Gaelle Soriano, of Foncalieu in the Languedoc, says the wording is important. Promoting Marselan for its disease resistance sounds scary, suggesting genetically modified crops, while “sustainable” is far more attractive. The vine’s resistance to mildew is helpful in warm humid regions, such as China, where it was introduced in 2001, after a Chinese delegation, including Li Demei, visited France. The initial 2.75ha parcel yielded its first harvest in 2003. Demei was immediately impressed, noting its “dense, bright purple colour, rich, fresh, red fruits aromas, with some white fruit, lychee, and mint notes and the juicy, sweet/fruity finish”.

Since then, Marselan has been slowly introduced to most of China’s main wine regions, with 20 vineyards growing it by 2018. However, the necessity to bury the vines during China’s cold winters in several regions limits options of planting density, training systems and the use of rootstocks. The release of China’s Grace Vineyards’ 100%-Marselan varietal in 2014, aged for two years, went some way towards boosting respect for the variety. Inspired, a second Chinese delegation came to France in 2015 to focus on Marselan, visiting, among others, La Catherinette in the Rhône.

Following the much-needed publicity and education achieved in 2017, Yean Lee, winemaker at Grace Vineyards, noted that this success had encouraged increased plantings of Marselan and that, in the past two years, “the price per kilo has surpassed that for Cabernet Sauvignon, with some wineries making Marselan their flagship wine, and others replacing Cabernet with Marselan in the vineyard”. Writing on Jancisrobinson.com in 2019, Australian viticulturist Richard Smart, the ‘Flying Vine Doctor’, wrote: “I have observed Marselan for a while. In Hebei, now Ningxia, it does very well. It may be China’s signature variety.”

Aileen Lee, a wine journalist in Shenzhen, China, believes Marselan is “the Chinese wine star of tomorrow”, although volumes are still small and the majority of Chinese consumers still do not
know Marselan. Younger wine enthusiasts have been attracted by its less pretentious image, its lower price (compared with Cabernet Sauvignon) and organic label, while older drinkers see its modern heritage and ‘non-noble origins’ as a weakness. The knowledge gap between wine industry professionals and enthusiasts and that of the average wine consumer is large, with little interest
shown in foreign Marselan. The Marselan from Uruguay’s Bodegas Garzon is one of the few imported exceptions, and Marselan from at least one Languedoc producer is sold in bulk to China, its end destination unknown, but believed to be blended into local wine.