Image Source: Wine with Margaret
The fourth day in Yinchuan was promising to become another interesting and exciting day, during our break from judging, I headed out to the tasting booth across the entrance from where we are tasting, at the Expo Venue. The booth showed the Chinese Marselan wines that received medals from CMB last year (amongst other wine trophies). Some of them were pretty darn good, others had a lot of VA (Volatile Acidity, which isn’t to my liking at all) but I got a good first view of what Marselan from China tastes like, let me share my findings with you.
Image Source: Wine with Margaret
Marselan is fast becoming the red grape variety to watch in China—and for good reason. Originally a French crossing (1960s) of Cabernet Sauvignon and Grenache, it’s now thriving across China’s emerging wine regions. From Ningxia’s mineral elegance to Xinjiang’s fruit-forward warmth, Marselan is showing remarkable promise as China’s most distinctive and commercially viable red wine. During a recent visit to Yinchuan for the CMB tastings, I had the chance to sample medal-winning Marselan from across the country. Here’s why this grape is not only winning awards—but also rewriting the future of Chinese wine.
Let me already give you a bullet point recap of Why Marselan Might Be China’s Most Promising Red Grape so you have your quick answer ready.
- Rapid Rise: Marselan is gaining ground across China’s top wine regions like Ningxia, Xinjiang, and Yunnan.
- Style & Character: Deep colour, plush fruit, smooth tannins, elegant structure.
- Award-Winning: Medal performances at CMB, Decanter Asia, and global recognition.
- Global Identity: Distinctly Chinese, not a Bordeaux mimic—perfect for export markets.
- Vineyard Match: Thrives in China’s high-altitude, arid terroirs with minimal intervention.
- Room to Grow: Still evolving in quality, with exciting potential ahead.
Marselan definitely China’s Growing Flagship
Marselan is a red grape variety originally bred in France (a cross between Cabernet Sauvignon and Grenache) in the 1960s, but it has found a surprisingly successful second life in China. It’s now considered by many in the industry as China’s most promising and distinctive red grape. First introduced in the early 2000s, Marselan is now grown in several key regions—most notably Ningxia, but also Xinjiang, Hebei, Shandong, and Yunnan—where it responds well to China’s high-altitude vineyards, arid climates, and sandy soils.
My Findings in a General Style & Profile
Marselan wines from China tend to be medium to full-bodied, high in alcohol, deep purple colour with an inky core, good aromatics - with notes of black cherry, plum, violet, and black tea. The mouthfeel has medium+, yet smooth tannins, that I will describe as fine or silky. Balanced – naturally fresh acidity backs up their fruit forwardness quite well. Elegant rather than overly powerful –
especially compared to many domestic Cabernet Sauvignons. I often find subtle smoky, spicy or earthy undertones, depending on oak treatment. The variety tends to avoid the overly green, herbal character that can sometimes affect Cabernet Sauvignon in less ideal conditions.
For me the high alcohol levels (up to 14.5-16% even) are not always very well integrated to my opinion, but I can understand why the perceive this as the “Chinese Consumer Style”, since that is still their biggest market, so good thing they know where to focus on.
Winemaking Approaches
Marselan is being treated with increasing care by producers in China: with Minimal intervention, especially in the more boutique wineries. They use shorter maceration times to preserve the varieties freshness. The use of oak is limited and gentle.
Image Source: Wine with Margaret
French barriques for (not more then) 6–12 months. Some producers are even exploring natural or amphora-aged styles. A few are using Marselan in blends, but most focus on single-varietal bottlings to highlight its uniqueness. Hence the importance of Marselan for Chinese wine producers.
Regional Differences
Across the “wine bar” that were showing their Marselan wines came from several regions. Let me give you, as good as I can, a regional difference between the Marselan wines that I have tasted there. (Even in the 20 minutes that I had time to do it in. So, forgive me, if it is not too detailed. I can only do so much haha.)
- Ningxia: Arguably the best-performing region, with a clear focus on structured yet approachable wines. Marselan from Ningxia often has good minerality, elegance, and age-worthy potential. Most of the wines showcased were from vintage 2017, 2018 – still not very old, but on the palate showcasing a wine that tasted young, refreshing and full of life (fruit)!
- Xinjiang: Slightly warmer climate; riper rounder fruit on the palate, fruit-forward styles with softer tannins.
- Shandong: Coastal influence brings more herbal, earthy complexity but the vines here can suffer from humidity (so I’ve been told).
- Yunnan: High-altitude Marselan with brighter acidity, slightly lighter styles.
Market & Recognition
- Marselan has won several international awards, particularly for Ningxia-based producers like Silver Heights, Grace Vineyard, and Xige Estate.
- It’s becoming a flagship grape at domestic trade fairs and competitions such as the CMB and Decanter Asia Wine Awards.
- Retail pricing tends to range from €20–€60 in export markets, with premium versions reaching higher price points. To my opinion on what we are used to in Europe the price doesn’t reflect the quality. You must know the producer’s reputation to see if you think it is worth the price. But the prices mentioned are quite normal in terms for trading with Chinese wines internationally.
- From a commercial standpoint, Marselan offers a “Made in China” identity without mimicking Bordeaux—something increasingly important as the Chinese wine industry that looks to assert its own narrative.
Challenges
There is a lack of standardization – quality varies depending on producer. Still relatively unknown to international consumers, so marketing efforts and education remain key. And it needs continued refinement in vineyard management and winemaking to fully express its potential, but they are just in their beginnings exploring this variety, so a lot more to come.
Conclusion
Marselan has emerged as the red variety to watch in China. It performs consistently across challenging terroirs, produces wines that are stylistically distinctive, and aligns well with modern drinking preferences—smooth, fruit-forward, and expressive. While still maturing as a category, it’s one of the clearest markers of how China is building a wine identity that’s not only competent but increasingly confident.
Image Source: Wine with Margaret – some of the wines tasted at the overview tasting at the hotel.
Hope this insight in Marselan gives you a better understanding on what to expect when we talk about Chinese Marselan. And off I went, back to the tasting hall to finish our “shift” for today’s tastings. After the lunch I hopped on to the third floor of the Wanda Realm Hotel to have an overview tasting of Ningxia wines that were displayed in a separate tasting room, specially for us judges to become more familiar with all the region has to offer.