That evening we were visiting friends and the kids went to play together, leaving us at large for some time. We opened two bottles of wine. We had decided to make an improvised wine tasting, comparing two wines from Marselan grapes. This is not something easy for amateurs like us, but when we are in a good company, open for new tastes and emotions, it is like a game. And it is great fun to smell, taste and discuss what you have felt. We had picked two wines that we had previously tasted. They are from different wineries, from different areas and from different vintages, but from the same grape variety.
The French grape variety Marselan
Marselan was created in France in the mid-20th century as a cross between Cabernet Sauvignon and Grenache. It produces large clusters of small berries, from which come wines with deep purple nuances. One of the most important benefits of Marelan is that it is one of the wines with most polyphenols, which are healthy for people.
„Of these polyphenols, the most abundant in wine for health reasons are Procyanidins, which inhibit cholesterol plaque in blood vessels. This is why wine is connected with hearth health.“
Wine Folly
Tasting notes
Let’s go back to the two wines. Indeed we did not fine any other single-variety Marselan wines from Bulgarian wineries. There are some that use them on blends but a single-variety Marselan is a rarity in Bulgaria. But two is perfectly fine when they come from wine cellars that we like. One of them is by our old friends from Rupel Winery, in the Struma Valley, and the other one is a small new but very interesting wine cellar – ROXS winery.
Marselan 2018 – Dandelion, ROXS winery
The lighter, fruity and fresh marselan, which would be better to start with, was the one coming from ROXS winery. It is a new small wine cellar near the town of Chirpan. The enologist is Snejana Mutafchiyska, a very experienced and well-known winemaker in Bulgaria. The grapes come from the Maritsa valley, near Svilengrad. And the wine comes with intensive fruity aromas, medium body, velvet tannins and light fruity finish. Or Maria felt it like this.
Gramatik Marselan 2015 – Rupel winery
The Gramatik Marselan 2015 is from Rupel Winery, Dolno Spanchevo village, Struma Valley (near Melnik). We have written about Rupel a lot of times, they are wonderful people, making wine with a lot of love and purity. This wine is from the Gramatik series, matured in oak and very, very nice.. It has intensive aromas of black berries liqueur and earth. Medium body and very rich taste. We agreed that this was the wine for men. And we finished the evening with it, accompanied by a delicious meaty dinner.
In other words, both wines are wonderful. And the French variety marselan may not be very popular in Bulgaria but it still a wonderful grape variety, and also very healthy.
| Wine: | Gramatik Marselan |
| Country: | Bulgaria |
| Variety: | Marselan |
| Vintage: | 2015 |
| Winery: | Rupel Winery |
| Location: | Dolno Spanchevo, Petrich, Bulgaria |
| Price: | 15 BGN |
| Barrique: | 8 – 12 months in oak barrels |
We adore wine and it is not only a part of our travels but also reason for them. Read more about the wines that have impressed us or for our favourite wine cellars.