Marselan might have originated in China, but it has reached new heights on the other side of the world.

Consumers crowd to taste Marselan at a Beijing wine tasting.

Argentina and Malbec; New Zealand and Sauvignon Blanc; China and … Marselan?

China's rise as a quality wine producer may be impressive, but a chronically struggling and saturated market makes commercial success difficult.

Enter Marselan, a relatively unknown grape from France that producers, promoters and policymakers think boosts the profile of Chinese wine.

The question now is not whether this grape matters – but how far it can take the industry.

From France to China

Paul Truel created Marselan in 1961 at Domaine de Vassal – the vine collection at France's national agricultural research institute – leveraging the thick skins and structure of Cabernet Sauvignon and the disease and heat resistance of Grenache.

Initially overlooked due to its small berries and low juice yields, Marselan gained ground as producers embraced quality over quantity. Today, Marselan is planted in over two dozen countries, from Serbia, Spain and South Africa to Mexico, Uruguay and Lebanon – but its most dramatic story is in China.

Marselan arrived in 2001 at an experimental China-France vineyard near Beijing that later became Domaine Franco Chinois. Its quick success led to expansion across some 2500 km – from coastal Shandong to outermost Xinjiang. China now has roughly 150 producers of Marselan, with plantings estimated at up to 4000 hectares, placing it second behind France, although Cabernet Sauvignon dominates vineyards nationwide.

China's producers recognize Marselan for its hardiness, versatility and potential for quality.

"Marselan is more adaptable than many other varieties – it's drought resistant, heat tolerant and resilient against pests and diseases," says winemaker Deng Zhongxiang, who manages this grape for five clients across Ningxia.

"In years with insufficient sunlight, it doesn't develop the unripe green notes sometimes found in Cabernet Sauvignon."

Ma Huiqin, a professor at China Agricultural University (Beijing), says Marselan handles extremes – from the hot dry conditions in the northwest to the monsoonal ones on the eastern coast.

"It gets deep color even in [coastal] Shandong, so it fits the need of the growers," she says.'

A matter of taste

Those small berries, with their high skin-to-juice ratio, lead to styles well-suited for a market where most people are new to wine. Deep colors, fresh aromas, ripe fruits and less astringency than Cabernet Sauvignon typically feature.

And despite talk that Marselan would primarily serve as a blending grape, varietal wines abound.

"I prefer single-variety wines since they already combine the structure side of Cabernet Sauvignon and the juicy fragrant side of Grenache," says Zhu Lili, a vlogger with two million-plus followers on Douyin (TikTok). "Marselan is balanced on its own."

This flavor profile also fits consumers trends in China. Drinking for status – famous brands and high prices – is decreasing. Drinking for pleasure and taste is increasing and Marselan is well-positioned for that shift.

But does this justify Marselan as a flagship grape? It certainly checks many boxes.

For one, no country has firmly claimed Marselan in the way, say, Argentina has Malbec.

Zhang Xuan of the Yinchuan Wine Association in Ningxia says this encourages dozens of his members to grow this grape and the government to provide support, including backing three annual Marselan competitions with Concours Mondial de Bruxelles.

"Marselan is important for us and for the entire region," says Zhang. "We want more and more Marselan."

Quality criteria

Marselan also appears to meet two key criteria identified by Ma Huiqin: quality and quantity.

A flagship grape, Ma argues, should make "great wine".

"It should have very high complexity, with a unique character, which can be promoted for the high-end and traditional consumers," she says.

 The number of Marselan brands available in China is growing – and so is consumer interest.

By that measure, Chinese Marselan is doing well. It has a decade of medals, from 2017, when Grace Vineyard won platinum best in show in the Decanter Asia Wine Awards, to last year, when three local Chinese wines scored 95 points and up at the International Wine & Spirits Competition.

The first Wynn Signature Chinese Wine Awards – in Macau in 2024 – saw Fei Tswei Marselan beat 700-plus wines from nearly 200 producers for Best Wine of China.

And critics are taking note. James Suckling's Top 100 China Wine List included 18 Marselans in 2025 and 16 each in 2024 and 2023, calling it China's "now-signature red grape".

There is also the unexpected prestige of Marselan's approval for planting in Bordeaux in 2019 and of DBR Lafite's China property – Longdai in Shandong – using this grape in its flagship blend.

Quantity leap

Ma Huiqin’s second criterion is quantity: a flagship grape must reach a broad market.

"You still need to make a wine acceptable to a large volume of consumers," she says. "They represent the real revenue."

That means expanding plantings and diversifying styles. Producers are progressing on both fronts, increasing acreage while expressing regional differences.

I co-organize annual World Marselan Day festivals in Beijing, Shanghai and Shenzhen, with up to 50 wines, and consumers routinely distinguish stylistic differences of Marselans from different regions. Producers are also moving beyond still reds and releasing rosés, sparkling wines, and blanc de noirs – brands like Grace, Lige Yuanshan and Jinyu Yunlai are using the latter to piggyback on growing white wine demand.

There are, of course, potential downsides to a flagship grape. Reliance on one variety carries the risks of monoculture as well as sales collapses should tastes change.

Marselan presents vineyard challenges, including yield management, a relatively late ripening window, and – like vines across northern China – the need for fall burial to protect against extreme cold dry winters.

One might also argue that China is simply too young a wine country, and Marselan too much an unknown factor, to justify flagship status, especially when other varieties are serious contenders.

No grape looms larger than Cabernet Gernischt – genetically identified as Carménère – which has nationalist appeal due to its association with the founding of watershed winery Changyu in 1892. That long history meant time to acquire "Chinese characteristics" and make it more local than Marselan.

Starting point

Even so, after a decade of falling wine production and consumption, Marselan is impossible to ignore. It suits producers, makes both accessible and serious wines, and earns awards and scores that boost China's global wine credibility. (While exports are modest, Chinese Marselan is now found in dozens of countries. This month, it popped up at New York's Ninhao restaurant, on what is said to be the first Chinese wine-only menu in the United States.)

Finally, in the end, Marselan's obscurity may be largely irrelevant.

"Marselan is definitely the most popular rising variety," says vlogger Zhu. "Many consumers aren't familiar with any grapes, so Marselan is often the first one they encounter."

Ma Huiqin sees this dynamic among university students in her Wine Appreciation classes.

"My students don’t have any idea of the so-called noble varieties," she explains. "For them, Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Noir and Marselan are all at the same starting point."

Given the scarcity of wine drinkers, getting more people to that starting point is desperately needed.