WINE GLOSSARIES (M-N-O)

MACERATION A term that is usually applied to the period during the vinification process when the fermenting juice is in contact with its skins. This process is traditionally used in red-winemaking, but it is on the increase for white wines utilizing prefermentation maceration techniques. MACÉRATION CARBONIQUE (Fr.) A generic term covering several methods of vinifying wine under the pressure of carbonic gas. Such wines, Beaujolais Nouveau being the archetypal example, are characterized by amylic aromas (peardrops, bubblegum, nail-polish). If this method is used for just a small part of a blend, however, it can lift the fruit and soften a wine without leaving such telltale aromas. MADERIZED All Madeiras are maderized by the estufagem, in which the wines are slowly heated in specially constructed ovens, and then by cooling them. This is undesirable in all wines except for certain Mediterranean wines that are deliberately made in a rancio style. Any ordinary, light, table wine that is maderized will often be erroneously diagnosed as oxidized, but there is a significant difference in the symptoms: maderized wines have a duller nose, have rarely any hint of the sherrylike character of acetaldehyde, and are flatter on the palate. All colors and styles of wine are capable of maderizing and the likely cause is storage in bright sunlight or too much warmth. MAILLARD REACTIONS Chemical interactions between amino acids created during autolysis and residual sugar added by dosage, which are responsible for many of the mellow, complex post-disgorgement aromas adored by drinkers of mature Champagne. Maillard Reactions also play an important role in the raisining of grapes. MALIC A tasting term that describes the green apple aroma and flavor found in some young wines due to the presence of malic acid, the dominant acid found in apples. MALIC ACID A very strong-tasting acid that diminishes during the fruit’s ripening process, but still persists in ripe grapes and, although reduced by fermentation, in wine too. The quantity of malic acid present in a wine may sometimes be considered too much, particularly in a red wine, and the smoothing effect of replacing it with just two-thirds the quantity of the much weaker lactic acid is often desirable. MALOLACTIC The malolactic fermentation is often termed a secondary fermentation, but is actually a biochemical process that converts the hard malic acid of unripe grapes into soft lactic acid and carbonic gas. MANURE A very extreme form of farmyardy. MANNOPROTEIN Nitrogenous matter secreted from yeast during autolysis. MARC 1. The residue of skins, seeds, and stalks after pressing. 2. The name given to a four-ton load of grapes in Champagne. 3. A rough brandy made from the residue of skins, seeds, and stalks after pressing. MARQUE A brand or make. MATURE,MATURITY Refers to a wine’s development in bottle, as opposed to ripe, which describes the maturity of the grape itself. MEAN An extreme qualification of ungenerous. MEATY This term suggests a wine so rich in body and extract that the drinker feels almost able to chew it. Wines with a high tannin content are often meaty. MELLOW Describes a wine that is round and nearing its peak of maturity. MEMBRANE FILTRATION Use of a thin screen of biologically inert material, perforated with microsized pores that occupy 80 percent of the membrane, to filter wine. Anything larger than these holes is denied passage when the wine is pumped through during filtration. MERCAPTANS Methyl and ethyl alcohols can react with hydrogen sulphide to form mercaptans, foulsmelling compounds that are often impossible to remove and can ruin a wine. Mercaptans can smell of garlic, onion, burnt rubber, or stale cabbage. MÉTHODE CHAMPENOISE (Fr.) The process in which an effervescence is produced through a secondary fermentation in the same bottle in which the wine is sold (in other words, not transvasage). This procedure is used for Champagne and other good-quality sparkling wines. In Europe, the term is forbidden on the label of any wine other than Champagne, which never uses it itself. MÉTHODE GAILLAÇOISE (Fr.) A variant of Méthode Rurale involving disgorgement. MÉTHODE RURALE (Fr.) The precursor of Méthode Champenoise, this method involves no secondary fermentation. The wine is bottled before the first alcoholic fermentation has finished, and carbonic gas is produced during the continuation of fermentation in the bottle. There is also no disgorgement. METODO CHAMPENOIS (It.) Italian for Méthode Champenoise. MICROCLIMATE Due to a combination of shelter, exposure, proximity to mountains and/or water mass, and other topographical features unique to a given area, a vineyard can enjoy (or be prone to) a specific microclimate that differs from the standard climate of the region as a whole. MICROPOROUS FILTRATION Synonymous with membrane filtration. MICROVINIFICATION This technique involves fermentation in small, specialized vats, which are seldom bigger than a washing machine. The process is often used to make experimental wines. There are certain dynamics involved in fermentation that determine a minimum optimum size of vat, which is why home-brewers seldom make a polished product and why most wines made in research stations are dull. MID-PALATE 1. The center-top of your tongue. 2. A subjective term to describe the middle of the taste sensation when taking a mouthful of wine. It may be hollow if the wine is thin and lacking, or full if it is rich and satisfying. MILLERANDAGE (Fr.) A physiological disorder of the vine that occurs after cold or wet weather at the time of the flowering. This makes fertilization very difficult, and consequently many berries fail to develop, remaining small and seedless even when the rest of the bunch is full-sized and ripe. MINERAL Some wines have a minerally aftertaste that can be unpleasant. Vinho Verde has an attractive, almost tinny aftertaste when made from certain grape varieties. .

MISTELLE (Fr.) Fresh grape juice that has been muted with alcohol before any fermentation can take place. MOELLEUX (Fr.) Literally soft or smooth, this term implies a rich, medium-sweet style in most areas of France. In the Loire, however, it is used to indicate a truly rich, sweet botrytis wine, thereby distinguishing it from demi-sec. MONOPOLE (Fr.) Single ownership of a vineyard. MOUSSE (Fr.) The effervescence of a sparkling wine, which is best judged in the mouth because a wine may appear to be flat in one glass and vigorous in another due to the different surfaces. The bubbles of a good mousse should be small and persistent; the strength of effervescence depends on the style of wine. MOUSSEUX (Fr.) Literally “sparkling.” MOUTH-FILL Literally meaning a wine that easily fills the mouth with a satisfying flavor. There is no holding back, but it does not quite imply anything too upfront or obvious. MUID (Fr.) A large oval barrel with a capacity of 600 liters (159 gallons). MUST Unfermented or partly fermenting grape juice. MUST WEIGHT The amount of sugar in ripe grapes or grape must. MUTAGE (Fr.) The addition of pure alcohol to a wine or to fresh grape juice either before fermentation can take place, as in the case of a vin de liqueur, or during fermentation, as in the case of a vin doux naturel. NÉGOCIANT (Fr.) Trader or merchant. The name is derived from the traditional practice of negotiating with growers (to buy wine) and wholesalers or customers (to sell it). NÉGOCIANT-ÉLEVEUR (Fr.) A wine firm that buys in ready-made wines for éleveur. The wines are then blended and bottled under the négociant’s label. NERVY, NERVOUS A subjective term usually applied to a dry white wine that is firm and vigorous, but not quite settled down. NEUTRAL GRAPE VARIETIES Such grapes include virtually all the minor, nondescript varieties that produce bland tasting, low-quality wines, but also encompass better known varieties such as the Melon de Bourgogne, Aligoté, Pinot Blanc, Pinot Meunier, and even classics such as Chardonnay and Sémillon. The opposite of aromatic grapes, these varieties are ideal for oak-maturation, bottling sur lie, and turning into fine sparkling wines because their characteristics are enhanced rather than hidden by these processes. NOBLE ROT A condition caused by the fungus Botrytis cinerea under certain conditions. NOSE The smell or odor of a wine, encompassing both aroma and bouquet. OAK Many wines are fermented or aged in wooden casks and the most commonly used wood is oak. OECHSLE LEVEL (Ger.) A system of measuring the sugar content in grapes for wine categories in Germany and Austria. OENOLOGIST, OENOLOGY Pronounced “enologist” and “enology” (and usually spelled this way in the US), oenology is the scientific study of wine. It is a branch of chemistry, but with practical consequences, hands-on production experience, and an understanding of viticulture. OFF VINTAGE An off vintage or year is one in which many poor wines are produced due to adverse climatic conditions, such as very little sunshine during the summer, which can result in unripe grapes, and rain or humid heat at the harvest, which can result in rot. Generally an off vintage is a vintage to be avoided, but approach any opportunity to taste the wines with an open mind because there are always good wines made in every vintage, and they have to be sold at bargain prices if a vintage has a bad reputation. OIDIUM A fungal disease of the vine that turns leaves powdery grey and dehydrates grapes. OILY A subjective term meaning fat and viscous, and often also flat and flabby. OLOROSO (Sp.) A sherry style, naturally dry but usually sweetened for export markets. OPEN-KNIT An open and enjoyable nose or palate, usually found in a modest wine that is not capable of much development. OPULENT Suggestive of a rather luxurious varietal aroma; very rich, but not quite blowzy. ORGANIC WINES A generic term for wines made using the minimum amount of SO2 (sulfur dioxide), from grapes grown without the use of chemical fertilizers, pesticides, or herbicides. ORGANOLEPTIC Affecting a bodily organ or sense, usually that of taste or smell. OSMOTIC PRESSURE When two solutions are separated by a semipermeable membrane, water will leave the weaker solution for the more concentrated one in an endeavor to equalize the differing solution strengths. In winemaking, this is most commonly seen when yeast cells are put to work in grape juice with an exceptionally high sugar content. Since water accounts for 65 percent of a yeast cell, osmotic pressure causes the water to escape through the semipermeable cell membrane. The cell caves in (a phenomenon called plasmolysis), and the yeast dries up and eventually dies. OVERTONE A dominating element of nose and palate; often one that is not directly attributable to the grape or wine. OXIDATION,OXIDIZED These terms are ambiguous; as soon as grapes are pressed or crushed, oxidation sets in and the juice or wine will become oxidized to a certain and increasing extent. Oxidation is also an unavoidable part of fermentation and essential to the maturation process. In this case, however, in order not to mislead it is best to speak of a “mature” or, at the extreme, “oxidative” wine. This is because when the word oxidized is used, even among experts, it will invariably be in an extremely derogatory manner, to highlight the sherrylike odor of a wine that is in a prematurely advanced stage of oxidation. OXIDATIVE A wine that openly shows the character of maturation on the nose or palate. This can range from buttery, biscuity, and spicy characteristics through to a hint of nuttiness.