Roussanne White Wine Variety

Roussanne wines are often described as more elegant than those of its better known cousin Marsanne.

However in the vineyard the variety is less popular because of its lack of hardiness and susceptibility to powdery mildew.

Comments from my forthcoming book Beyond Shiraz

Oz Clarke Grapes and Vines. Tap image for details

In his book Grapes & Wines Oz Clarke likens the aromas of Roussanne to those of herbal tea and pears.

With age the floral notes in the aroma are replaced with more complex characters. Like its sister variety Marsanne this variety ages very well, if you give it five or even ten years bottle age.

In Australia this variety is made into varietal wines, but it is more often blended with Marsanne, or occasionally in a three way blend with Viognier.

The historic Yerringberg in the Yarra Valley makes outstanding varietal 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.

Georges Folly Roussanne from the Currency Creek Region of South Australia

Roussanne In Australia

These wineries use the Roussanne variety. Some make a varietal Roussanne, others blend it with the other Rhone white varieties Marsanne and/or Viognier.

A few wineries use Roussanne to make sparkling wine.

• 4382 Terroir Granite Belt
• Alejandro Riverland
• Alpha Box and Dice McLaren Vale
• Amadio Adelaide Hills
• Angullong Wines Orange
• Artwine Adelaide Hills
• Atze's Corner Wines Barossa Valley
• Balancing Heart Wines Granite Belt
• Ballandean Estate Granite Belt
• Ballycroft Barossa Valley
• Banrock Station Riverland
• Bassham Wines Riverland
• Beach Road McLaren Vale
• Bellwether Coonawarra
• Big Easy Radio McLaren Vale
• Bird in Hand Adelaide Hills
• Brown Brothers King Valley
• Bruno and George Barossa Valley
• By Jingo Adelaide Hills
• Calabria Family Wines Riverina
• Catlin Wines Adelaide Hills
• Chalk Hill Winery McLaren Vale
• Cirami Estate Riverland
• Cloudbreak Wines Adelaide Hills
• Colab and Bloom Adelaide Hills
• Coriole McLaren Vale
• Curator Barossa Valley
• De Iuliis Hunter Valley
• Delinquente Wine Riverland
• Di Giorgio Coonawarra
• Dr Plonk McLaren Vale
• Dune McLaren Vale
• Epsilon Barossa Valley
• Feathertop Alpine Valleys
• First Drop Barossa Valley
• First Ridge Mudgee
• Five O’Clock Somewhere McLaren Vale
• Frederick Stevenson Barossa Valley
• Galli Estate Heathcote
• Gapsted Wines Alpine Valleys
• Georges Folly Currency Creek
• Gibson Barossa Valley
• Good Doctor Wine Group McLaren Vale
• Gracebrook Vineyards King Valley
• Grand Casino Riverland
• Granite Rose Mornington Peninsula
• Grove Estate Wines Hilltops
• Harvey River Estate Geographe
• Haselgrove McLaren Vale
• Hesketh Wines Barossa Valley
• Hugh Hamilton McLaren Vale
• Il Cattivo Currency Creek
• Kangarilla Road McLaren Vale
• Kimbolton Langhorne Creek
• Kirrihill Estates Clare Valley
• Kyara Eden Valley
• La Fattoria Perth Hills
• La Madrina McLaren Vale
• La Prova Adelaide Hills
• Langmeil Barossa Valley
• Lingo Adelaide Hills
• Lino Ramble McLaren Vale
• Lion Mill Vineyards Perth Hills
• Lonely Vineyard Eden Valley
• Lost Penny Barossa Valley
• Loverman Adelaide Hills
• Marnong Estate Sunbury
• Matriarch and Rouge Calre Valley
• Mercer Hunter Valley
• Merindoc Heathcote
• Mr Riggs Wine Company McLaren Vale
• Myattsfield Vineyard and Winery Perth Hills
• New Era Adelaide Hills
• Next Crop Wines Langhorne Creek
• Nikola Estate Swan Valley
• Noble Road Clare Valley
• Oak Works Riverland
• Orbis McLaren Vale
• Otherness Barossa Valley
• Paracombe Wines Adelaide Hills
• Paulmara Estate Barossa Valley
• Peter Drayton Wines Hunter Valley
• Pindarie Wines Barossa Valley
• Pirate Cru Barossa Valley
• Project Wine Langhorne Creek
• Prometheus Riverland
• Purple Hands Wines Barossa Valley
• Ravensworth Wines Canberra
• Red Feet King Valley
• Redheads Barossa Valley
• Ringer Reef Winery Alpine Valleys
• Robert Stein Mudgee
• Rolf Binder Barossa Valley
• Salena Estate Riverland
• Saltram Barossa Valley
• Savina Lane Granite Belt
• SC Pannell McLaren Vale
• Scarpantoni Estate McLaren Vale
• Seabrook Barossa Valley
• Serafino Wines McLaren Vale
• Sfera Limestone Coast Zone
• Sieber Barossa Valley
• Signor Vino Riverina
• Silent Noise Mclaren Vale
• Sirromet Granite Belt
• Smidge Wines Mclaren Vale
• Springton Hills Eden Valley
• St Ignatius Vineyard Pyrenees
• Susuro Adelaide Hills
• Symphony Hill Wines Granite Belt
• Taylors Clare Valley
• Tenafeate Creek Wines Adelaide Plains
• The Overflow Queensland Zone
• The Pawn Wine Company Adelaide Hills
• Thistledown McLaren Vale
• Tscharke Barossa Valley
• Unico Zelo Adelaide Hills
• Vineyard 28 Geographe
• Wangolina Mount Benson
• Warburn Estate Riverina
• Way Wood Wines McLaren Vale
• Whistling Kite Wines Riverland
• Wines By Farquhar Barossa Valley
• Woodstock McLaren Vale
• Yarran Wines Riverina

Roussanne Described on De Long's Wine Grape Varietal Table. Click image for details

See the full list of varieties described on this site

Roussanne and food

Roussanne wines are typically moderate to full bodied so can be enjoyed with richer seafood dishes such as crab, lobster and scallops. 

You can also try these wines with roast chicken or turkey, just as you would pair a Chardonnay. 

An aged Roussanne would be enhanced with a cheese board with some hard cheese, an aromatic soft cheese and a generous dab of quince paste.

You can find many more suggestions for food pairing with Roussanne in Evan Goldstein's Daring Pairings book.

Click image for details of this book

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