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Marsanne wines
There has been renewed
interest in the Marsanne grape variety in Australia over the past decade. For many years the best
known example was from Chateau Tahbilk in the Nagambie Lakes region of Central
Victoria. The 'Chateau' has disappeared from the winery name but the wine just
goes on improving.
Food Pairing with Marsanne
Marsanne usually fills the gap between lighter style whites and rough coarser and oaked wines. Younger wines
are perhaps best served with
seafood dishes, or lighter
white meats such as
poached chicken. Aged Marsanne can
be paired with
roast chicken,
veal or seafood dishes with a heavier sauce.
Albarino to Zinfandel has suggestions for enjoying Marsanne and food.
This variety is a native to the Hermitage area in the Rhone
Valley where it is often blended with Roussanne. It is one of eight grape varieties
permitted in the Cotes de Rhone appellation.
Wines made with this variety improve markedly with bottle age.
It is less common for white wines to improve with bottle age, but wines made from this variety are exceptions.
With age Marsanne wine develops a beautiful golden colour and the flavour
rounds out to something resembling baked apples.
For this reason Tahbilk, the most prominent producer of this wine in Australia, have two releases of the wine.
At the time of writing you can get the 2006 vintage as well as the 2000. The older wines are showing the early effects of aging but will keep much longer given good cellaring conditions. In fact, Tahbilk's newsletter of July August 2007 suggests that all of the Tahbilk Marsanne wines since 1992 are still are either still improving, or are now ready to drink. So put aside a bottle of this fine wine for ten years or so and see what happens. It is worthwhile joining the Tahbilk wine club to keep your stocks of Marsanne up.
Some wineries such as Torbeck in the Barossa Valley and Mitchelton in the Nagambie Lakes are producing a Marsanne Viognier Roussanne Blend. D'Arenberg of McLaren Vale are producing a Marsanne Viognier with the intriguing name of The Hermit Crab.
The following Australian wineries are using Marsanne. It is a now variety on the move out of its long term enclave at Tahbilk.
- Akrasi Wines Central Victoria Zone
- All Saints Estate Rutherglen
- Angullong Wines Orange
- Arlewood Estate Margaret River
- Banca Ridge Granite Belt
- Barwon Ridge Wines Geelong
- Battely Wines Beechworth
- Beechtree Wines McLaren Vale
- Beelgara Estate Riverina
- Belgrave Park Winery South Coast Zone
- Bents Road Granite Belt
- Bianchet Yarra Valley
- Botobolar Mudgee
- Brumfield Yarra Valley
- Bullers Calliope Rutherglen
- Calais Estate Hunter Valley
- Cape Horn Vineyard Goulburn Valley
- Cape Mentelle Margaret River
- Charlies Estate Wines Swan Valley
- Churchview Estate Margaret River
- Connor Park Bendigo
- Coombe Farm Vineyard Yarra Valley
- Crane Wines South Burnett
- Cypress Post Granite Belt
- D'Arenberg McLaren Vale
- Dalfaras Nagambie Lakes
- Del Rios Geelong
- Delaney's Creek Winery & Vineyard Sunshine Coast
- Djinta Djinta Gippsland
- Gilligan McLaren Vale
- Goulburn Terrace Nagambie Lakes
- Growlers Gully Upper Goulburn
- Hanging Rock Winery Macedon Ranges
- Happs Margaret River
- Harman's Ridge Estate Margaret River
- Heathcote Winery Heathcote
- Hidden Creek Granite Belt
- Honey Moon Vineyard Adelaide Hills
- Jarrets of Orange Orange
- Jinks Creek Winery Gippsland
- Jones Winery and Vineyard Rutherglen
- Kirwans Bridge Wines Nagambie Lakes
- Kooroomba Queensland Zone
- Lillian Pemberton
- Lindenton Wines Heathcote
- Little's Winery Hunter Valley
- Little River Wines Swan Valley
- M. Chapoutier Australia Mount Benson
- Marribrook Great Southern
- Mary Byrnes Wines Granite Belt
- McHenry Hohnen Margaret River
- McIvor Creek Heathcote
- McIvor Estate Heathcote
- McPherson Wines Nagambie Lakes
- Melaleuca Grove Upper Goulburn
- Mitchelton Nagambie Lakes
- Monument Vineyard Central Ranges Zone
- Mount Burrumboot Estate Heathcote
- Munari Heathcote
- Murray Street Vineyard Barossa Valley
- Penny's Hill McLaren Vale
- Peppin Ridge Upper Goulburn
- Pfeiffer Wines Rutherglen
- Piggs Peake Winery Hunter Valley
- Poachers Ridge Vineyards Mount Barker
- Ravensworth Wines Canberra
- Rimfire Vineyards Darling Downs
- Riverina Estate Wines Riverina
- Rutherglen Estates Rutherglen
- Saint Derycke's Wood Southern Highlands
- Seppelt Great Western Grampians
- Sirromet Queensland Coastal
- Spinifex Barossa Valley
- Stanton Estate Queensland Zone
- Steinborner Family Vineyards Barossa Valley
- Stone Ridge Granite Belt
- Stumpy Gully Mornington Peninsula
- Summit Estate Granite Belt
- Tahbilk Nagambie Lakes
- Tallarook Wines Upper Goulburn
- Tamburlaine Hunter Valley
- Tawonga Vineyard Alpine Valleys
- Tempus Two Hunter Valley
- Terra Felix Upper Goulburn
- Three Moon Creek Queensland Zone
- Torbreck Vintners Barossa Valley
- Tulloch Hunter Valley
- Turkey Flat Vineyards Barossa Valley
- Valhalla Wines Rutherglen
- Wandoo Farm Central Western Australian Zone
- Wanted Man Heathcote
- Waratah Vineyard Queensland Zone
- Warrabilla Wines Rutherglen
- Winewood Granite Belt
- Wirruna Estate North East Victoria
- Woop Woop Wines McLaren Vale
- Wrattonbully Vineyards Wrattonbully
- Yalumba Wine Company Barossa Valley
- Yarra Glen Yarra Valley
- Yering Station Yarra Valley
- Yeringberg Yarra Valley
Marsanne and food
These wines go well with a wide range of foods. For example you might try Marsanne with seafood or chicken dishes.
An aged Marsanne could be enjoyed with cheese and fruit.
More food pairing ideas for Marsanne
Back from Marsanne to Varietal Wine Index
