    marsanne is a white wine grape, most commonly found in the northern rhÃ´ne region. it is often blended with roussanne. in savoie the grape is known as grosse roussette. outside france it is also grown in switzerland (where it is known as ermitage blanc or just ermitage), spain (where it is known as marsana), australia and the united states. ==wine regions== the grape most likely originated in the northern rhÃ´ne region where it is widely planted today. it is a principal component of the white wines from the hermitage, crozes-hermitage and saint-joseph aocs. it is the most widely planted white wine grape in the hermitage aoc, where it is often blended with roussanne. along with roussanne, up to 15% of marsanne can be added to the red wine of hermitage under appellation d'origine contrÃ´lÃ©e (aoc) regulations. in the saint-pÃ©ray aoc, it is used for both still and sparkling wine production. in the southern rhÃ´ne, marsanne is not one of the white grapes permitted in the chÃ¢teauneuf-du-pape aoc, although roussanne is. (in chÃ¢teauneuf-du-pape blends, clairette blanc adds similar characteristics as marsanne.j. robinson (ed) "the oxford companion to wine" third edition pg 429 oxford university press 2006 isbn 0-19-860990-6) it can be found in some white wines from the cÃ´tes du rhÃ´ne aoc.j. robinson vines, grapes & wines pg 235 mitchell beazley 1986 isbn 1-85732-999-6 although marsanne is mostly made into a dry wine, it is commonly made into a sweet wine in valais, switzerlandjancis robinson, julia harding, josÃ© vouillamoz wine grapes pg 601 penguin group 2012 isbn 978-1-846-14446-2 and some producers in the rhÃ´ne have also experimented with making a dessert-style straw wine with marsanne.oz clarke encyclopedia of grapes pg 124-125 harcourt books 2001 isbn 0-15-100714-4 outside the northern rhÃ´ne region, marsanne is also found in savoie and in the languedoc where it is often blended with viognier. it is a permitted grape in the provence wine of cassis though it is not widely used. ===outside france=== in australia, th
White_wine_grape_varieties