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Wine Glossary - M & N

From: Wine Taster's Glossary, Barbara Ensrud
August 8, 2011

M

Malolactic Fermentation: By adding a particular yeast to the fermenting wine, winemakers can convert the tart malic acid (green apples) to the rich and creamy lactic acid. Almost all red wines undergo malolactic fermentation, and some white wines (especially in Burgundy).

Mellow: A soft wine without harshness, round but balanced.

Méthode Champenoise: literally, "(made by the) Champagne method" the classic, expensive and time-consuming way to produce Champagne and many other sparkling wines. In this method, the second fermentation (the fermentation that produces the bubbles) occurs in the bottle and not in a pressurized tank (see charmat method).

Mint: An earthy quality in wine that may have to do with aging in French oak barrels, but it is also associated with Cabernet Sauvignons from California and Australia in particular.

Moelleux: A French sweet wine designation.

Mousse: The bubbles in a sparkling wine.

Mushrooms: This earthy quality is associated with many older red wines. It is reminiscent of fresh, rich soil.

Must: The mixture of grape juice, skins, seeds, and pulp in a red wine or the juice in a white wine vat before fermentation.

Musty: This is most often a term used for mishandled wine. This smell tends not to dissipate.

N

NV: non-vintage. Wines that do not receive a vintage designation are classified as non-vintage. In the case of Champagne, several vintages are blended each year in order to produce a consistent house style. In truly extraordinary years a vintage Champagne may be produced.

Noble Rot: see botrytis cinerea.

Nose: Another term used for the general smell of a wine.

Nouveau: A term used to indicate a wine that has been made to capture the ultimate in freshness and fruit character but which seldom has any aging potential, especially in Beaujolais. Nouveaux or "new" wines are usually released for sale earlier than other wines. (see carbonic maceration)

Nutty: The smell of various nuts, most often hazelnuts and walnuts.