Marselan wine is full-coloured and richly fruited, with enough tannin to age but enough approachability to drink young. The producers below grow it from its French origins into Spain, Italy and beyond.
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Marselan was created in 1961 at the INRAE research station in Marseillan, southern France, as a cross between Cabernet Sauvignon and Grenache Noir. The aim was a grape that combined Cabernet's structure with Grenache's warmth tolerance, and it succeeded: Marselan ripens reliably in heat, resists disease well, and produces wines with deep colour and firm but rounded tannin. Each bottle on this page ships directly from the producer's own cellar, with no importer or warehouse in the chain.
1 of 1 wine
A producer's wine case is their own selection of six bottles, assembled as the recommendation they would make if you came to visit. With a grape like Marselan, that often means a producer showing the variety across different styles — a younger, fruit-forward bottling alongside a longer-aged version — so you can see the range in one delivery. Free Grape Society is a society of producers, independent experts and wine lovers, not a shop.
The growers below work with Marselan across different soils and climates — from the Languedoc, where the grape was bred, to warmer sites in Spain and Italy where its heat tolerance is a practical asset. A producer's own notes are often the most direct guide to understanding why their Marselan tastes the way it does. The wine-advice service is available if you would rather talk through the options before choosing.
Marselan is still relatively rare, which means the producers who grow it tend to be those who have sought it out deliberately. Independent wine experts review wines they have personally tasted, and their reviews are visible on each wine page and on the expert's own profile. Several of the experts on this page have reviewed Marselan wines featured here, so you can read their notes before deciding.
Browse the wines listed on this page, add a bottle to your basket, and complete your order with Klarna or card. Each bottle is shipped directly from the producer's cellar. Delivery takes between 4 and 14 days, and shipping is free.
Send a photo to Free Grape Society customer support within 7 days of delivery. We will arrange a replacement or a refund. Because producers ship directly, quality issues are handled with the producer's direct involvement. Shared responsibility is built into how FGS works.
Yes. You can add wines from different producers to a single basket. Each producer ships their wines separately from their own cellar, so you may receive more than one delivery. Each shipment is covered by the same free-shipping terms.
Average delivery is 8 to 9 days from order to door. The full range is 4 to 14 days depending on the producer's location and your delivery address. Wines ship directly from the producer's cellar, not from a central warehouse.
Start with the producer's own description and where the wine is from. Marselan from the Languedoc tends toward earthy depth; from warmer Spanish or Italian sites it often leans richer and more opulent. If you are unsure, the wine-advice service connects you with an independent expert who can help narrow it down.
Most Marselan is bottled as a single-variety red, typically with deep colour, red and dark fruit, and firm but approachable tannin. Some producers blend it with Syrah or Grenache to add complexity. A small amount of rosé is made from Marselan, particularly in the south of France.
Several independent wine experts on Free Grape Society have reviewed Marselan wines. Visit an expert's profile to read their tasting notes and track record, then use the wine-advice form to put your question directly to them. There is no fee for the advice.
Free Grape Society lists wines from independent producers who grow and bottle their own wine. Supermarket-label wines are typically blended and bottled by large négociants using purchased grapes, removing the direct relationship with the grower that is central to how Free Grape Society works.
Marselan is rarely found in mainstream retail. Because it is a relatively recent variety and grown mainly by smaller independent estates, it tends to reach buyers through specialist importers or, increasingly, directly from the producer — which is how it is sold on Free Grape Society.
Marselan is a cross between Cabernet Sauvignon and Grenache Noir, created in 1961 at the INRA research station in Marseillan, in the Hérault department of the Languedoc. It was bred to combine Cabernet Sauvignon's structure and disease resistance with Grenache's adaptability to heat and drought, two qualities that matter a great deal in the warm, dry growing conditions of southern France. For decades it remained a minor variety, used mainly in blends to add colour and body. Recognition came slowly: Marselan was only officially authorised for use in French appellations in the early 2000s, and it has since found its most consistent home in the Languedoc-Roussillon, where independent growers increasingly bottle it as a varietal wine in its own right. It also travels: producers in Spain, parts of Italy, and further afield have planted it for the same reasons it was created — warmth tolerance, reliable ripening, and a generous colour that survives summer heat without losing freshness.
Marselan produces deeply coloured red wines with firm but not aggressive tannins, relatively high acidity for a warm-climate grape, and aromas that sit somewhere between its two parents: the dark fruit and cedar of Cabernet Sauvignon alongside the ripe red berry and spice of Grenache. In cooler, higher-altitude sites the result leans fresher and more structured; in warmer lowland vineyards the wine tends toward concentration and softer texture. It suits food well precisely because it holds onto its acidity even at full ripeness. Grilled lamb, slow-cooked pork, duck with fruit sauces, and dishes built around tomato and herbs are natural partners. It also works alongside hard cheeses and charcuterie without being overwhelmed. If you are exploring the variety across regions, comparing a Languedoc-Roussillon bottling with one from Aragon or another warm-climate zone gives a clear sense of how site and vintage pull the grape in different directions. Producers working with it on Free Grape Society ship each bottle directly from their own cellar, so what you receive reflects the individual grower's choices rather than a blended commercial style.
Because Marselan sits outside the most searched appellation names, it rarely appears on supermarket shelves and is almost never stocked by large distribution chains, which means the most direct route to it is through the producers who actually grow it. On Free Grape Society, each order ships directly from the winery, with no importer or warehouse in between — the bottle you receive is the same one the grower would hand you if you visited the estate. Wines tasted before listing, so the producers you find here have already been reviewed by the Head of Product before appearing on the platform. Independent wine experts also add their own ratings and reviews to individual bottles over time, and those are visible on each wine page. If you want to explore Marselan alongside the broader Languedoc-Roussillon range it comes from, the Languedoc-Roussillon wines page is a good place to start. For the French wines selection more broadly, or to look at what producers working with Grenache Noir and Cabernet Sauvignon — Marselan's two parent varieties — are doing, both pages give a wider picture of the regional context. Free Grape Society is a society of producers, independent experts and wine lovers, not a shop.
