Mouth
This word is used to describe a wine’s taste. Specifically, the physical impression of a wine in the mouth and its texture. Without a doubt, the tannins and body play an important part here.

Maceration
The process of steeping grape skins, for a certain period of time, in the fermenting must so as to extract colour, aromas and tannins. Several methods are used for this purpose but maceration must always involve healthy grapes. Unlike the alcoholic fermentation, that benefits from the vat’s low temperature (28ºC), the maceration process should be done at 30ºC so as to obtain a larger dissolution of the polysaccharides.

Magnum
A bottle that contains double the volume of a normal 75cl bottle; in other words, it holds 150cl. This type of bottle is increasingly common because despite the fact of having a bottle neck of the same diameter as the 75cl bottle, its larger volume allows the wine to “breathe” better. Red wines, as well as champagnes, mature better in these bottles.

Malolactic
Term used to describe the malolactic fermentation into the desacidification originated by the lactic bacteria (Lactobacillus and Leuconostoc) when acting on the malic acid and converting it into lactic acid, softer.

Maturity
The ideal time for grapes to be picked due to their complete development. When a wine reaches its best, or when the wine’s qualities reach their maximum degree of harmony and balance.

Mildew
A disease that afflicts the green parts of the vine-stock brought about by a parasitical fungus (Plasmopar vinicola). This fungus, which originated from the United States, attacked European vineyards in 1878 and caused mass losses. There are grape varieties that are more vulnerable than others, but in general, it still is a danger when the weather is conducive to the appearance of this disease (years with very wet summers). The fungus’ germs only develop when in contact with water and thus attacks and penetrates the leaves when it rains. The green parts of the vine-stock later become sick and die. Mildew can appear in many ways: white or oily marks on the leaves or with the rotting of the grapes. The disease can be avoided with a treatment that consists of watering the leaves before the rainy season with a chemical that kills the fungus germs. Many years ago copper was used, but after the Second World War, synthetic substitutes have increasingly arrived on the market and the copper treatment is now practically obsolete. The important advances made in the battle against mildew make this disease continuously less feared by grape producers.

Must
The resulting juice produced by the crushing of grapes. After undergoing fermentation, the must is transformed into wine. The solid particles of the grape (skins, pulp and sometimes parts of the stalk) are eliminated as the wines are filtered. Concentrated must is when its volume is reduced and condensed by eliminating some of the water content, through heat or refrigeration treatments.