Macroclimate
A term used to describe the climate of a large area, such as a entire wine-producing region. Related terms include mesoclimate and microclimate. The macroclimate has an obvious effect on the grapes.

Maderized
Wine that has been oxidized. It has a brown or amber color and stale odor.

Magnum
A large format bottle equivalent to two standard 750 ml bottles, containing about two fifths of a gallon or 1.5 liters of wine or liquor. This is a dramatic size and just placing it on the table tells your guests that the evening is going to be a festive one.

Malic acid
One of the main contributors to the acidity of a wine. Malic acid has a sharp, green apple like taste.

Malolactic Fermentation
A bacterial process which results in conversion of the sharp tasting malic acid to the softer lactic acid.

Manzanilla (Spain)
A dry Sherry, similar in style to Fino, from Sanlúcar de Barrameda.

Marc (France)
This term describes the mass of skins, pips and stalks left behind once all the fermented juice - wine - has been taken off. It makes good fertiliser, but can also be distilled to make spirits.

Marie-Jeanne
A large format bottle, equivalent to three standard bottles. Not a commonly found format, and generally limited to Bordeaux. See my advisory page on wine bottle sizes for more information.

Master of Wine
The top qualification for those in the wine trade, it being the last in a series of examinations devised by the Wine & Spirits Education Trust. Only a few hundred have passed, and the failure rate sits at about 70%, so it isn't to be undertaken lightly.

Mature
The wine is fully developed and ready to drink.

Mellow
Smooth and soft, with no harshness.

Merlot
Less tannic with lower acidity than Cabernet Sauvignon, this grape makes reds that are often rounded and smooth textured. Aromas can be plums, hay, berries and chocolate.

Mesoclimate
This term describes the climate of a small area, typically an individual vineyard or hillside. Related terms include macroclimate and microclimate.

Méthode Champenoise (France)
The traditional method for making Champagne, in which the second fermentation occurs within the bottle. A legally protected term - only Champagne may wear this on the label - although the method is used the world over.

Méthode Traditionelle (France)
Winemakers outside Champagne using the Methode Champenoise may use this to describe the process on the label. They are legally prevented from using the term Methode Champenoise.

Methusaleh
A large format Burgundy and Champagne bottle, equivalent to eight standard bottles. In Bordeaux this size is known as an Imperiale. See my advisory page on wine bottle sizes for more information.

Microclimate
The climate immediately around the vine.

Midpalate
A tasting term. After taking a mouthful, hold it in the mouth, and see what you get from the wine. Does it have enough flavour and texture? What are the tannins and acidity like? When describing how the wine develops in the mouth, you are describing the midpalate. Describing your immediate impression would be to discuss the wine's entry. Then swallow, to judge the finish and length.

Millerandage (France)
This term describes the failure of some grapes in a normal bunch to fully develop. The result is uneven berry size. It is caused by cool weather during flowering.

Mise en bouteille (France)
Bottled.

Moelleux (France)
A sweet or medium-sweet wine.

Moldy
Wines that have the smell of mold or rot, usually from grapes affected by rot or from old moldy casks used for aging.

Mousse (France)
A tasting term. A description of the mousse is referring to how fizzy a sparkling wine seems in the mouth. A soft mousse is not too fizzy. A harsh mousse is too fizzy, like a carbonated soft drink, perhaps.

Mousseux (France)
A sparkling wine. Generally used outside Champagne to describe wines of lesser quality, quite possibly not made by the Methode Champenoise.

Mulled Wine
Mulled wine is red wine usually mixed with sugar, lemon, and spices (cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg and sometimes honey). The spices were often used to mask poor wine, much the way oak is sometimes used to hide plonky wine. It’s served hot and often around Christmas.

Muscular
Vigorous fruit and powerful body and flavor; robust.

Must
The term used to describe the grape pulp and juice after crushing the grapes during the harvest, before the wine is fermented.

Must weight
An indicator of the sugar content of the fermenting wine, and therefore an invaluable guide for the winemaker. There are a number of scales used to express must weight, including Baumé, Brix, Oechsle and KMW. My article on must weight in my Sweet Wine series gives more information.

Mutage
The process of arresting fermentation by the addition of grape spirit, this is essentially fortification. See my feature on mutage, in my Sweet Wine series, for more detailed information.