Kabinett
German and Austrian wine category, based on ripeness of the grapes. These wines are usually light-bodied and low in alcohol.
Kekfrankos (also called Blaufrankisch, Limberger and Lemberger)
A red grape variety widely grown in Hungary, where it produces a dark-coloured wine that is high in acidity. Also grown in Austria (known as Blaufrankisch), Germany (known as Limberger), and Washington State in the US (known as Lemberger).
Lagar
Stone trough used for treading grapes. Superseded in most regions by more modern methods but still in use in Portugal’s Douro Valley in the making of port.
Lambrusco
Many wine drinkers will be familiar with the sweet, frothy red (often poor-quality) wine called Lambrusco, made from a grape variety of the same name. When well-made, Lambrusco can be very good, but the superior stuff has been swamped by inferior Lambrusco. The Lambrusco grape variety is not widely grown outside Italy.
Landwein
Category of German wine similar to vin de pays in France. There are 15 Landwein regions, but the category is little used, as qualification for Landwein status is so easy to acquire.
Lanolin
Tasting term used to describe wine with the soft aroma of wet wool. Commonly used for white wines made from the Semillon variety.
Late Harvest
A New World term used to describe wines made from grapes that were harvested late in the season. These are most often sweet, although if fermented to dryness, they can be quite high in alcohol. The term ‘late harvest’ is roughly equivalent to German Spatlese or French vendange tardive.
LBV
Late Bottled Vintage port. A style of port made from wine of a single year, matured in cask, and bottled four to six years after the harvest. It usually does not require decanting, although some producers make a bottle-aged style which does require decanting. LBVs are made in a lighter style than true vintage port. The two are quite different and shouldn’t be confused.
Lean
Tasting term used to describe a wine that lacks a spectrum of flavours.
Lees
The sediment of dead yeast cells which collects at the bottom of any fermentation vessel once fermentation is complete. Champagne is often aged on its lees, which gives it a rich, biscuitty character.
Left Bank
The western bank of the Garonne river and the Gironde estuary in Bordeaux, including the Medoc, Graves, Pessac-Leognan and Sauternes.
Lemberger (also called Kekfrankos, Limberger and Blaufrankisch)
A red grape variety widely grown in Washington State in the US, where it produces a dark-coloured wine high in acidity. Also grown in Austria (known as Blaufrankisch), Germany (known as Limberger) and Hungary (known as Kekfrancos).
Lemony
Tasting term used to describe wine with the flavour of citrus fruit. Commonly used for young, dry white wines.
Length
A tasting term used to describe how long the flavour lingers on the palate once a wine has been swallowed. Simple, inexpensive wines tend to have shorter length. With better-quality wines, the length should be much better.
Light
Tasting term used to describe wine low in alcohol with little body.
Liqueur de Tirage
Mixture of wine, sugar and yeast added to still wine to promote a secondary fermentation in the production of sparkling wine.
Liqueur d'Expedition (also called dosage)
Liquid mixture of wine and (usually) sugar that is used to top up bottles (and adjust levels of sweetness) of Champagne and other wines made by the methode traditionelle. This process takes place after disgorgement.
Limberger (also called Blaufrankisch, Kekfrankos, and Lemberger)
A red grape variety widely grown in Germany, where it produces a dark-coloured wine high in acidity. Also grown in Austria (known as Blaufrankisch), Hungary (known as Kekfrankos) and Washington State in the US (known as Lemberger).
Long
Tasting term used to describe wine with a taste that lasts (a positive feature).
Macabeo (also called Viura)
The white Macabeo variety is grown throughout southern France; it is also widely planted in Spain where it is called Viura. It is used in Spain to make a variety of styles from white Rioja to Spain's sparkling wine, cava. Despite its ubiquity, the variety has precious little character.
Maceration
Period of time when the grape skins are in contact with the fermenting must during red wine vinification.
Maderized
A tasting term used to describe wines that are over-mature, often with an unpleasant ‘cooked’ flavour.
Magnum
Large-format bottle equivalent to two 75cl bottles.
Malbec (also called Cot)
This red variety has long been used in the Bordeaux region of France, where it is blended with Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and others to make red Bordeaux wine. It is grown in small amounts in Bordeaux, but is also grown in other parts of France as well as in Spain. In France it is used in Cahors, where it is used to make the region’s famous ‘black wine’. The variety is also grown in Argentina, where it is used to make powerful, flavourful red wines.
Malolactic Fermentation
Conversion of harsh malic acid into softer lactic acid by the action of lactic bacteria in winemaking.
Malvasia
A white grape variety grown in many places in Europe and the New World. Confusingly, a number of sub-varieties are also grown, particularly in Italy. It is used to make wines as diverse as Frascati, white Rioja and Madeira. When well-made, Malvasia can produce a full-bodied, scented white wine.
Manzanilla
A pale, dry style of sherry that is very similar to fino. Manzanilla is basically a fino that has been matured in Sanlucar de Barrameda, on the Spanish coast. The sea air, it is claimed, gives the wine a salty tang.
Marc
1. The residue of skins, pips and stalks left in a press after the extraction of grape juice or wine, sometimes distilled to produce eau‑de‑vie de marc.
2. The name given to one charge of a traditional press, especially in Champagne.
Marsanne
A white grape variety that has long been grown in France's Rhone Valley. It is used as a component in the region's white wines, including Saint-Peray and Crozes-Hermitage. Marsanne is gaining in popularity, aided by its presence in Australia, where it makes good-quality, full-bodied white wines.
Mataro (also called Monastrell and Mourvedre)
A red grape variety grown in southern France and Spain, but gaining favour in the New World. In France, the variety is known as Mourvedre, while in Spain it is called Monastrell. The variety produces rich, spicy, scented wines which often have a great deal of tannin and alcohol.
Mature
Tasting term used to describe wine that is at the ideal age for drinking. Depending on provenance, grape variety, wine making, vintage and style, there is a great deal of variation as to when a wine is mature. Mature wines will have a perfect balance of acidity, alcohol, tannin and fruit.
Mazuelo (also called Carignan and Carinena)
A red grape variety in Spain’s Rioja region that is also widely grown throughout southern France, Spain and North Africa. Mazuelo is usually blended with other red varieties, rather than bottled on its own.
Meaty
Tasting term used to describe a wine that is rich in flavour with a full body (can actually be reminiscent of savoury meats).
Melon de Bourgogne
This white grape variety is best known for making one of the world's most popular wines, Muscadet. Although widely grown in Muscadet’s home, France's Loire Valley, it is little known elsewhere. Also known simply as Muscadet.
Merlot
Popular red grape variety often used in Bordeaux as a blending component with Cabernet Sauvignon. In Bordeaux, it is the main portion of the blend in Pomerol (most famously Petrus and Le Pin) and Saint-Emilion, where it makes wines with a silky complexity. The grape is very popular in California as well as northern Italy, and Chile (though much of what is labelled as Chilean Merlot is actually a rather obscure variety called Carmenere).
Methode Traditionelle
A term used to describe wines that have been made using the same technique traditionally used to make Champagne. The term used to be called ‘methode Champenoise’ but that term can no longer be used outside Champagne.
Methuselah
A large-format bottle used in Champagne. It holds the equivalent of eight 75cl bottles.
Metodo Classico
Italian term for ‘methode traditionelle’, the traditional way of producing sparkling wine, as used in Champagne.
Moelleux
French term used to describe a sweet wine, often from the Loire region.
Monastrell (also called Mourvedre and Mataro)
A red grape variety grown in southern France and Spain. In France, the variety is known as Mourvedre, while in Spain it is called Monastrell. The variety produces rich, spicy, scented wines that often have a great deal of tannin and alcohol. Monastrell is gaining favour in the New World where it is known as Mataro.
Montepulciano
A red variety grown widely throughout Italy, where it is used to make wines of decent to good quality. Montepulciano the grape variety shouldn’t be confused with a wine from Tuscany called Vino Nobile de Montepulciano; just to make things more difficult, that wine is not made with the Montepulciano variety at all.
Morrastel (also called Graciana and Graciano)
A red grape variety grown in southern France and the Rioja and Navarra regions of Spain. Although it produces wines with good aromas and ageing potential, it is not widely grown outside France and Spain, except in Argentina, where it is called Graciana.
Mourvedre (also called Monastrell and Mataro)
A red grape variety grown in southern France and Spain. In France, the variety is known as Mourvedre, while in Spain it is called Monastrell. The variety produces rich, spicy, scented wines that often have a great deal of tannin and alcohol. The variety is gaining favour in the New World where it is known as Mataro.
Mousseux
French word for ‘sparkling’. Usually the term is used to describe wines that have been made using methods other than the traditional method used in Champagne.
Mouth-Filling
Tasting term used to describe a wine with a rich texture and flavour that seems to fill the mouth.
Muller-Thurgau
Despite its mediocrity, this white grape variety is very widely grown. Muller-Thurgau is the result of a cross between two other varieties, Riesling and Silvaner. Its claim to fame is that it ripens early, which has made it a popular variety in cool regions. It is grown in Germany, England, northern Italy, Austria and Hungary, but nowhere is it used to make wine of any great note.
Muscadelle
A white grape grown in France's Bordeaux region, where it is used in small quantities to make dry and sweet wines. In Australia, the variety is transformed into thick, sweet dessert wine styles. Despite its name, Muscadelle is not related to the Muscat grape.
Muscat
Strangely, most wines don’t smell or taste of grapes — unless they’re made from Muscat. Muscat, a white grape variety, is used throughout Europe and the New World to make dry, medium and sweet wines. It is also used to make sweet sparkling wine in Italy (Moscato d’Asti) and France (Clairette de Die). In Australia and South Africa, Muscat is turned into a rich, sweet, aged liqueur style of wine. There are numerous sub-varieties of Muscat. Regardless of style, all wines made from Muscat have a distinctive fresh grape juice smell and taste. Dry Muscat is a good foil for spicy, aromatic Vietnamese and Thai food.
Must
Unfermented grape juice destined to become wine.
Must Enrichment
The addition of sugar or rectified concentrated grape must to grape juice prior to fermentation to increase the final alcoholic content of the wine. Strict controls govern its use in winemaking.
Must‑Weight
Density, or specific gravity, of grape juice prior to fermentation. Measurement of the must‑weight enables the winemaker to estimate the final alcoholic content of the wine.
Musty
Tasting term used to describe wine with a stale aroma and/or flavour, which may indicate corked wine.
Nebuchadnezzar
Large-format bottle used in Champagne. Equivalent to twenty 75cl bottles.
Negociant
A French term for a person (or company) who deals in buying, selling and sometimes maturing wine.
Nebbiolo
One of the great red grapes of Italy. This is the variety that is used to make Barolo and Barbaresco, two of Italy’s finest wines. It is most widely grown in the Piedmont region of northeast Italy. Nebbiolo is capable of making wines that can age well for decades, though they are often tannic in their youth. In Piedmont, Nebbiolo wines can have a great deal of complexity, with full flavours and a cocktail of dark, spicy aromas
Negroamaro
A red Italian grape variety widely planted throughout the south of Italy. It’s a particularly important variety in Puglia, where it is being used to good effect to make good-quality, rich red wines.
Nero d’Avola
One of the best red grape varieties grown in Sicily. When well made, Nero d’Avola can produce wines of good quality with the potential for ageing.
Neutral
Tasting term used to describe a wine that is short on aroma or flavour. Commonly used for inexpensive dry white wines.
Nevers
Oak forest in France. Trees from this forest are used to make some of the best barrels for ageing wine. Nevers oak works particularly well with the wines of Burgundy.
Noble Rot
Benevolent form of Botrytis cinerea, a mould that concentrates the sugars of ripe grapes, facilitating the production of the finest sweet wines.
Non-Vintage (NV)
A term used to describe wines for which no year of harvest is shown on the label. The term is frequently used in Champagne for wines made from a blend of several vintages, with the aim of producing Champagnes with a consistent style. Simple table wines may also be non-vintage.
Nose
A tasting term. Basically, the nose is the way a wine smells. ‘Aroma’ is a synonym.
NV
Non-vintage. A term used to describe wines for which no year of harvest is shown. The term is frequently used in Champagne for wines made from a blend of wines from several vintages, with the aim of producing Champagnes with a consistent style. Simple table wines may also be non-vintage
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