Marselan

Marselan is a red grape variety, a new breed between Cabernet Sauvignon Grenache Noir x. The crossing was made in 1961 by the French ampelographers Paul Truel at the Domaine de Vassal, a branch of the Institut National de la Recherche en Agronomy of the University of Montpellier. The name Marselan inspired by the place name Marseillan, where the plant was first cultivated. Only in 1990 the species was included in the list of varieties of the CTPS. Since June 2007, subject to approval by the U.S. Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau is available, list the grape variety on the label of imported wines.

Breeding goal was to combine the finesse of Cabernet Sauvignon with the heat resistance of a Grenache. The variety has very small berries, resulting in a low yield. In this respect, the breeding goal of similarity was not achieved with Cabernet Sauvignon and the variety was for many years little attention. Only their natural robustness against a variety of vine diseases makes the grade for the winemakers interesting. The first varietal Marselan - stemmed wine from the year 2002 and was pressed near Carcassonne at the winery Domaine Devereux. In particular, in the region of Costières de Nîmes, the Marselan has established and is popular as a balanced and fruity red wine with an emphasis on the tannins. Small stocks are also known in Switzerland. ( 0.9 acres, as of 2007, source: Office fédéral de l'agriculture OFAG )

For commercial cultivation in France, the clone 0980 is approved.

See also the article viticulture in France, viticulture in Uruguay, viticulture in the United States and Viticulture in Lebanon and the list of grape varieties.

Synonyms: breeding line number INRA 1810-68.

Ethnicity: Cabernet Sauvignon Grenache x

Dissemination

The medium late maturing variety (22 - 25 days after Chasselas ) is approved in the South of France since 1997 and the largest proportion of land under vines ( 2,255 acres, as of 2007, ) is in the Aude, Hérault and Gard. Smaller plantings are also known in Lebanon, Uruguay and the United States. In California, the seedlings are especially used in the wine-growing regions of the North Coast AVA. For several years, the grape is ( Thracian Plain), grown in Bulgaria with great success.