Celebrate World Marselan Day By Getting To Know This New Grape

Uncork a bottle and celebrate the Marselan Grape; unique and relatively new grape to the world of wine.

Marselan grape was created by Paul Truel in 1961 and on April 27th, Truel’s birthday, we celebrate one of his great accomplishments. Truel bred over a dozen new grape varieties and was an avid wine researcher, writing several definitive works on wine grapes before his death in 2014. A few of his creations include the Caladoc – a cross of Malbec and Grenache and the Chasan, a Listan and Chardonnay hybrid.

Pour a Glass of Marselen

Marselan grapes are a hybrid of Grenache and Cabernet Sauvignon and are named after the town of Marseillan. The new variety didn’t initially catch on, it created lower than expected yields and a small berry size at a time when quantity was more important than quality. Today, Marselan has begun to catch on for its unique flavor profile and the fact that it grows vigorously and is resistant to heat, mold, mites, and odium. Today, it’s grown in over a dozen countries including Argentina, Chile, Israel, France, and is particularly popular in China.

Taste wise, Marselan combines spicy notes of clove and cinnamon with smooth, soft cherry, ripe bramble fruits and cases. If the wine is aged in oak there will be notes of toast and vanilla as well. You can expect medium body with soft tannins and a medium level of acidity. As the Marselan grape is so new it’s hard to tell if it’s a wine to age, but many believe it will age well.

When serving, note that it pairs well with savory dishes like lamb shoulder and stewed pork or lentils. Garlic and rosemary help bring out some of the wines earthier notes.

Have a favorite Marselan bottle? Let us know in the comments!