Glossary
Maccheroni
Italian for macaroni.
Maceratino
The white grape variety is a rarity in the Marche region.
maceration
Maceration or maceration (lat. macerare / soaking) is a chemical process for obtaining extracts. If this process is supported by heat supply, one speaks of digestion. During the vinification process, the maceration takes place during the mash fermentation. The longer the duration, the more intensive is the extraction of dyes and phenols from the berries and berry shells.
maggotised
Obviously oxidized wine which has taken on a brownish colour. Not necessarily a mistake, but a characteristic of certain wines (Madeira, Marsala).
magnum
Bottle with a volume of 1.5 litres. It is very often used for the best red wines when they are to be stored for a long time, because the wine matures particularly well in them.
Malvasia
The Malvasia comes as an old white grape variety from the aegean islands of Greece, but has been spread over the entire Mediterranean area since antiquity. It is grown all over Italy and is very productive. The Malvasia vine produces white wines full of character and longevity.
malvasia nera
Malvasia Nera is the red variant of Malvasia. However, it is less important than the white variety. In Piedmont and South Tyrol, the Malvasia Nera has DOC status. In Apulia the red grape is blended with Negro Amaro.
Mammolo
The red grape variety has belonged to Tuscany since the 17th century. It is still partly used today in the Vino Nobile di Montepulciano or in the Chianti.
Manzo
Italian for beef.
Marche
In the eastern part of central Italy between the Apennine Mountains and the Adriatic coast lies the region of Marken, which is resolutely on an upward trend. Here grows the famous Verdicchio, with whom the Visigoth king Alarich already strengthened his troops before the attack on Rome. In recent years, some producers have experimented very successfully with yield-reduced individual vineyards and selected grapes. Great wines were created in the process. These wines prove that very good results come from the often underestimated wine region. (superiore.de)
Capital: Ancona
Provinces: Ancona, Ascoli Piceno, Fermo, Macerata, Pesaro, Urbino
Area under vines: 18,000 hectares
Total production/year: 78.10 million litres
of which red/roséwine: 37.60 million litres
of which white wine: 40.50 million litres
Share of wine-growing in Italy: 1.80%.
Marinata
Italian for Marinade.
Markus Del Monego
World Champion of Sommeliers 1998
Lufthansa Magazine: "The Superschmecker. "He is the first German to bear the title of world champion of all sommeliers.
Velvet: "Mr. Vino. Goldgespickt is his career. He acquired the title of world champion sommelier in Vienna in 1998 - and he looks like a man who knows exactly how to assess himself. Dark, fun-loving eyes sparkle over the edge of the glasses in a friendly way and it sprays with vitality and joie de vivre. Del Monego learned the business from the bottom up and today has an exceptionally good nose to define the best wine".
Handelsblatt: "Noble distinction. Worldwide wine and cellar knowledge, food combinations, growing regions, mineral water, coffee, cigars: anyone who can handle all this confidently in his head and at the table will bewitch the jury and hopefully elicit from the enraptured guest the answer Giocchino Rossini gave to the question of what tones he thought were the most beautiful on earth: 'When the roast stews in the pan and a bottle of wine is opened.' "
marl
Soil type - sedimentary rock, produces wines with good acidity.
Martini & Rossi
One of the best-known brands for Italian wormwood. However, the company also owns several large and excellent vineyards in northern Italy.
Marzemino
Behind the name Marzemino lies a red wine vine cultivated mainly in northern Italy. In Trentino it produces full-bodied, velvety and light wines as well as a sparkling, fruity Chiaretto.
mash
The mixture of grape juice and berries.
Merlot
The Merlot is a high quality red wine which is spread all over the world. It comes from the Bordeaux area and is the worthy partner of Cabernet Sauvignon.
Merlot is not an uncomplicated cultivar in the vineyard: it sprouts earlier than Cabernet Sauvignon and therefore suffers more from milling. It also has a strong tendency to trickle during the flowering period under cool and wet weather conditions. Merlot makes it easy for the winegrower to choose the right grape variety for each vineyard. All floors that do not seem suitable for the cultivation of Cabernet Sauvignon are usually ideal for Merlot. Because it prefers heavier, deeper and more water-storing subsoils than Cabernet Sauvignon.
Pure Merlot wines are fruity, full-bodied and soft, sometimes smooth, sometimes even fatty. They are deep red and captivate with their intense fruity aromas that evoke memories of spices and cherries. The taste and smell are also reminiscent of currants, tobacco, blackberries and often of "burnt rubber". Their less pronounced tannin structure makes the charming wines accessible much earlier than the wines from Cabernet Sauvignon. Nevertheless, the best Merlot wines are almost as long-lasting as Cabernet Sauvignon. When blended with this, the Merlot can - depending on its proportion - either soften the strict nature of Cabernet Sauvignon or be given a certain amount of structure and firmness by its tannin-rich partner.
Today, a total of around 100,000 hectares are already planted with Merlot worldwide, and the trend is rising. This corresponds approximately to the total area under cultivation in Germany. Merlot is also widespread in northern Italy with an area of 30,000 hectares.
The plants are mostly fruity, light and uncomplicated. They are particularly suitable as accompaniments to light Italian cuisine. But wherever the Bordeaux wines from the Libournais and especially the incomparable Château Pétrus are regarded as the pinnacle of wine-making artistry, Merlot is given greater care. An outstanding example is the Masseto of the Ornellaia winery in the Tuscan DOC Bolgheri Superiore.
Methuselah
Wine bottle with 6 litres volume.
Metodo Classico
In Italy the name for the classical method of sparkling wine making.
mezzo
Italian for half.
Migliori Vini
Ian D'Agata and Claudio Comparini have been giving Migliori Vini a simple overview and uncomplicated information about the quality of Italian wines for almost ten years. Their small selection is not limited to the large labels, but also targets special commitment, emerging small winemakers and niche products. The passionate and independent wine guide of Italy.
misto
Italian for mixed.
Molinara
Molinara is a northern Italian red wine vine. The main growing areas are Lake Garda and Verona. The grape variety is used as a component of Valpolicella and Bardolino. It produces fruity, acidic wines.
Molise
Molise is one of the smallest growing areas in Italy. Part of the predominantly mountainous region borders on the Adriatic coast. The plots are highly fragmented, with about nine out of ten vineyards having less than half a hectare. Quality viticulture is also gaining in importance in Molise, and there are some promising goods. But still Alessio Di Majo with his wonderful family winery is the quality leader of this small wine world. (superiore.de)
Capital: Campobasso
Provinces: Campobasso, Isernia
Area under vines: 6,500 hectares
Total production/year: 31.90 million litres
of which red/roséwine: 23.60 million litres
of which white wine: 8.30 million litres
Share of wine-growing in Italy: 0.70%.
monica
The Monica is probably of Spanish origin and occurs in Italy mainly in Sardinia.
monovarietal
Designation for a wine made from a single grape variety or at least 85 percent of a grape variety.
Montepulciano
Montepulciano is a city in Tuscany. But the same name is also given to a red grape variety that is widespread throughout central Italy. Montepulciano is the main variety in Abruzzo. The excellent Montepulciano d'Abruzzo is pressed from it.
Morellino
The DOC Morellino di Scansano is located in the coastal area of Tuscany - south of Bolgheri in the Maremma landscape. The Morellino grows around the village of Scansano and some other municipalities. It is another of the many local varieties that the number one Tuscan red grape variety, Sangiovese, has developed over the centuries.
Besides Brunello di Montalcino, Morellino di Scansano is the only red wine in Tuscany that allows Sangiovese to be aged in its purest form according to the wine law. Morellino is a dark red wine with an intense bouquet and concentrated taste. He would have deserved a higher name recognition, but because of his rarity he has a hard time with the numerous popular Sangiovese red wines of Tuscany.
Moscato
Moscato, known in Germany as Muskateller, is the name of various related grape varieties. Moscato is one of the oldest grape varieties. Moscato grapes are used in Italy to produce a wide variety of wines and grappa. Thus, concentrated dessert wines, such as the Ben Ryé from Donnafugata in Sicily, come mainly from the southern cultivation areas. In northern Piedmont this vine is used to make the famous Moscato d'Asti, a lightly sparkling white wine with a subtle sweetness and low alcohol content. All products from Moscato have one thing in common - the unmistakable nutmeg aroma.
mozzarella
Soft cheese made from cow or buffalo milk.
The original is made from buffalo milk and can be called "Mozarella di Bufala". It is inseparably linked to pizza, but is also used for many pasta dishes.
Mundus Vini
The Mundus Vini International Wine Award is a competition organised in Germany for wines from all parts of the world. Already in the first year of its existence (2001), the wine competition reached a number of participants of 2,235 wines, which doubled in 2007, with almost 5,000 employed wines from 35 important growing regions of the world.
must
Grape juice not yet fermented or in fermentation, obtained by pressing.
must weight
The must weight indicates how much natural sugar is contained in the freshly pressed must before fermentation. The must weight is often determined beforehand on the grapes on the vine in order to determine the most favourable time for the harvest. There are numerous procedures and measures for this, e.g. Oechsle (widespread in Germany) or Baumé (common in the Mediterranean region).
Müller-Thurgau
Müller-Thurgau is the most successful and oldest of the many German new breedings. In northern Italy, cultivation is concentrated in Friuli, South Tyrol and Trentino. The white grape variety makes little demands on the location and the soil. However, it thrives best on deep, water-storing subsoils. Unlike the Riesling, the Müller-Thurgau ripens early.
The wines are light and fruity with floral and fine nutmeg aromas and produce a significantly lower acidity than the Riesling. The wines draw their charm above all from their youthful freshness. The Müller-Thurgau wines are pale to light yellow in colour. They are moderate in alcohol content, soft, juicy and uncomplicated.