Roussanne White Wine Variety

Roussanne wines are often described as more elegant than those of better known Marsanne. In the vineyard the variety is less popular because of its lack of hardiness and susceptibility to powdery mildew.

The aromas of Roussanne are often likened to those of herbal tea and pears. With age the floral notes in the aroma are replaced with more complex characters. Like its sister this variety ages very well, give it five or even ten years bottle age.

In Australia this variety is made into varietal wines and is often blended with Marsanne, or occasionally in a three way blend with Viognier. Yerringberg in the Yarra Valley makes outstanding wine from Roussanne. It needs extended bottle age.

In the Northern Rhone the variety is used in blends with Marsanne to make white Hermitage wines, it is also used as a component of the red wines of Chateauneuf du Pape. Roussanne is becoming increasingly popular in several other regions of Southern France including Provence and the Languedoc and Roussillon wine regions. It is also a favourite variety among the 'Rhone Rangers' of California, and there are some plantings in Northern Italy.

Australian wineries that make wine from Roussanne include

• All Saints Estate Rutherglen
• Arlewood Estate Margaret River
• Belgrave Park Winery South Coast Zone
• Belgravia Vineyards Orange
• Bellbrae Estate Geelong
• Bimbadgen Estate Hunter Valley
• Box Grove Vineyard Nagambie Lakes
• Brown Brothers King Valley
• Campbells Wines Rutherglen
• Cape Mentelle Margaret River
• Cascabel McLaren Vale
• Catspaw Farm Granite Belt
• Chambers Rosewood Rutherglen
• Counterpoint Vineyard Pyrenees
• D'Arenberg McLaren Vale
• Djinta Djinta Gippsland
• Galvanized Wine Group McLaren Vale
• Giaconda Beechworth
• Gilligan McLaren Vale
• Goona Warra Vineyard Sunbury
• Growlers Gully Upper Goulburn
• Indigo Wine Company Beechworth
• Jerusalem Hollow Margaret River
• Jones Winery and Vineyard Rutherglen
• Kabminye Wines Barossa Valley
• Lillian Pemberton
• Lowe Family Wines Mudgee
• Mary Byrnes Wines Granite Belt
• Massena Wines Barossa Valley
• McHenry Hohnen Margaret River
• McIvor Estate Heathcote
• Mitchelton Nagambie Lakes
• Penny's Hill McLaren Vale
• Seppelt Great Western Grampians
• Snobs Creek Wines Upper Goulburn
• St Huberts Yarra Valley
• Tahbilk Nagambie Lakes
• Tallarook Wines Upper Goulburn
• Terra Felix Upper Goulburn
• Torbreck Vintners Barossa Valley
• Turkey Flat Vineyards Barossa Valley
• Waterwheel Wines Bendigo
• Westend Estate Riverina
• Wood Park King Valley
• Woop Woop Wines McLaren Vale
• Yangarra Estate McLaren Vale
• Yeringberg Yarra Valley
• Zonte's Footstep Langhorne Creek

You can buy some wine from this variety at Winemarket