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maceration - The practice in red wine making of allowing the grape juice or wine to remain in contact with the skins and seeds. While some maceration occurs during fermentation, winemakers can deliberately prolong this period in order for the juice to draw phenolics -- colouring, flavour and tannins -- from the skins. Maceration usually takes place after fermentation, but "cold maceration" takes place before, with fermentation delayed by chilling the must to about 9 degrees C (48 degrees F). This is an alternative favoured by some winemakers who feel that a more desireable range of phenolics are extracted. Another technique, called carbonic maceration, is a pre-fermentation maceration used in making certain white wines. See also cuvaison.

madeira - A wine named for the Portuguese island of Madeira where it was first produced. Wine called madeira is produced in other countries, but the original and best madeira comes from the island itself. Wine has been made on its steep, terraced volcanic slopes for many centuries and it has evolved into a rich fortified wine not unlike port. It differs from nearly all other wines in that it undergoes a heating process called estufagem giving it a unique character. Traditionally, it is made in four styles named for the principal variety of grape used in each. They are, in increasing order of sweetness and depth of colour, Sercial, Verdelho, Bual and Malvasia, or Malmsey. In this century, a large portion of madeira has been produced from the inferior Tinta Negra Mole grape, though recent years have seen a return to the traditional varieties. At its worst, madeira is an excellent, widely-used cooking wine, but at its best it is a grand wine, rich and fascinating in character and incredibly long-lived, some wines seemingly just hitting their stride at a century or more. See also maderization.

maderization - This term is often misused as though it were synonymous with oxidation, but it should be used to describe the spoiling of, or deliberately affecting, wine by exposure to air as well as heat, giving it a character similar to madeira. Such a wine will appear brownish in colour and will taste cooked and possibly stale. See also rancio.

maderized - Refers to a wine that has suffered maderization.

magnum - a bottle equivalent in capacity to 2 standard bottles (1.5 litres, 51 US fl. oz., 53.1 UK fl. oz.).

Malbec - one of the major red wine grape varieties of Bordeaux.

malic acid - One of the three primary acids (with tartaric and citric) that occur naturally in grapes and play a part in the flavour and acidity of wine. Malic acid lends fruitiness to wine but is strong in flavour and can be harsh if overabundant. Malolactic fermentation is a technique used to diminish its adverse effects.

Malmsey - Grape variety used in, and subsequently a type of, madeira. English corruption of "Malvasia".

malolactic fermentation - A type of fermentation sometimes carried out after the primary fermentation to soften an overly acidic wine. Lactic bacteria convert strong-tasting malic acid into the milder lactic acid and carbon dioxide. Unwanted malolactic fermentation can occasionally occur in bottle resulting in slight carbonation or spoilage.

Manzanilla - Spanish - A style of sherry made in the seaside town of Sanlúcar de Barrameda. It is similar to a fino sherry -- pale and dry -- and ferments with the same film-forming flor yeast. Manzanilla tends to be more acidic however, and is usually made to a slightly lower percentage of alcohol. Manzanilla Pasada is similar to a fino amontillado.

marc - French - The French term for pomace, the residue of skins seeds and pulp left after pressing white wine grapes, or after fermenting red wine grapes. Also, a distilled spirit made from this residue, the French equivalent of the Italian grappa.

Marechal Foch - A French-American hybrid wine grape grown throughout the eastern U.S. It produces a somewhat light, yet deeply colored wine

Marie-Jeanne - Bottle used in Bordeaux equivalent to 3 standard bottles (2.25 litres, 76.5 US fl. oz., 79.7 UK fl. oz.). See also half-bottle, magnum, double magnum, Jéroboam and Impériale.

marque - French - Brand.

Marsala - A fortified wine from Sicily, and the town at the centre of the region producing it. It is produced in three colours: Marsala Oro and Marsala Ambra are made from white grapes, and Marsala Rubino is made from red. There are also a number of levels of quality ranging from the basic Fine through to the better Superiore and Vergine designations. To the minds of some though, this wine is a pale imitation of its former self due possibly to lax regulations and misguided methods.

Master of Wine - Frequently abbreviated to MW, this is a title bestowed on those who have passed the formidable examinations of wine knowledge and tasting skill administered by the Institute of Masters of Wine, a British organization promoting excellence in wine scholarship and appreciation.

mature - Describes a wine that has developed fully, having reached its optimal age for drinking.

mead - An alcoholic beverage made by fermenting honey.

meaty - Describes a wine with so much rich extract and mouth-filling body that it seems chewable. See also chewy and fleshy.

Medoc - Red wine district within the Bordeaux region of France.

mellow - Used to describe a wine, usually mature, that is soft yet balanced.

Merlot - a vitis vinfera species of grape. The most widely planted grape in Bordeaux, merlot, a red grape, is also grown in most of the same places as cabernet sauvignon. And in fact, the two are often blended. Because merlot in general has somewhat less tannin than cabernet sauvignon, it often feels softer on the palate. Its flavors often run to mocha and boysenberry.

mercaptans - Particular chemical compounds that can develop in wine after fermentation if the yeast is allowed to react with sulphur in the lees. They are pungent, smelling of skunk or rubber, but can be avoided by proper handling of the wine.

mesoclimate - This term refers to the distinct climatic conditions of a specific area, from tens to hundreds of metres (or yards) across. This is usually the correct term to use in reference to the conditions affecting a vineyard or potential vine-growing site, though microclimate is frequently and erroneously used.

méthode champenoise - French - The method, developed in France's Champagne region, by which the finest sparkling wine is traditionally made. An expensive and time-consuming process, it results in complex, exciting wines with a delicate effervescence that would be unattainable through more industrial techniques. Initially, still wines are blended to arrive at the particular style of the winemaker or house, then sugar and special yeasts are added and the wine is bottled and stoppered. A secondary fermentation takes place in the bottles creating additional alcohol as well as carbon dioxide which gives the wine its fizz. This fermentation produces lees which are allowed to remain in contact with the wine for a period of time ranging from as little as nine months to as much as ten years. During this time the dead yeast cells in the lees undergo a change called autolysis which can impart complex flavours to the wine. The next step in the process is removing the lees from the bottle, which is done by means of riddling and disgorging. Finally, a mixture of sugar syrup and wine, called dosage, is added to bring the wine to desired level of sweetness before the bottles are corked and labelled.

méthode classique, méthode traditionelle or méthode traditionelle classique - French - Terms equivalent to méthode champenoise approved for wine labels by the European Union.

Methuselah - Large bottle used in Champagne and Burgundy equivalent to 8 standard bottles (6 litres, 1.58 US gal., 1.32 UK gal.). See also half-bottle, magnum, Jéroboam, Rehoboam, Salmanazar, Balthazar and Nebuchadnezzar.

microclimate - This term refers to the distinct climatic conditions within a very specific area, no larger than a few metres (or yards) across and frequently much smaller. It might refer to conditions at a certain depth of soil, or within the shade of a particular tree. It is widely misused to mean the climatic conditions affecting a larger area, a vineyard for example, for which mesoclimate is the correct word. As it is applied to wine it is intended to convey the finicky nature of vines and the potentially profound effects of slight changes in elevation, soil, exposure, etc. on the resulting wine.

millerandage - French - An abnormal vine condition caused by cool weather at the flowering stage that results in grapes of greatly differing size within the same bunch. There is some evidence that in some varieties smaller grapes produce better wines, so this condition is not always undesireable.

millésime - French - Year, or vintage.

minöségi bor - Hungarian - Quality wine.

mis(e) en bouteille - French - Bottled, as in "mise en bouteille au château", meaning château-bottled. On wine labels certain specific phrases like this are guarantees of a wine's authenticity.

mistela - Spanish Equivalent to the French mistelle.

mistelle - French - A fortified wine made from grape juice to which alcohol is added before any fermentation can take place. See vin de liqueur.

moelleux - French - From "moelle", meaning bone marrow, this word means soft or mellow and refers to a rich, medium sweet white wine.

mousse - French - Meaning "foam", this word is used to describe the effervescence of a sparkling wine.

mousseux - French - Meaning "foamy", it is the French term for sparkling wine.

mulled wine - A winter beverage made of wine that has been heated and flavoured with sugar or honey and possibly spices, fruit or brandy.

must - The mixture of crushed grapes and juice as it awaits or undergoes fermentation.

must weight - A measurement of the fermentable sugars in grapes or grape must. This important measurement gives an indication of the potential alcohol content of a wine. Measurements are made using either a refractometer or a hydrometer and the result is represented by a number on a scale. Different systems of measurement have been developed and used in different countries. See Baumé scale, Brix scale and Oechsle scale.

mutage - French - The French term for a technique for arresting or averting fermentation by means of the addition of sulphur dioxide or alcohol. Employed in the making of vin doux naturel and vin de liqueur, it is the same method used in making port, though this term is not used in Portugal.

muzzle - The wire basket that holds the cork in place on a bottle of sparkling wine.

MW - Short for Master of Wine, these initials may follow the name of anyone who holds that title.