marc

Imagine fruit being pressed for juice or wine. What is left behind, the skins, pulp, seeds, and sometimes stems, is called marc. In English, the word is used most often for the remains of grapes after winemaking, so it is close in meaning to pomace.

People have long found good use for it instead of throwing it away. In France, marc can also mean a strong drink distilled from this residue, and in Italy a similar drink is grappa. It may also be used for compost, fertilizer, or animal feed. So when you hear the word, think of the useful leftovers from pressed fruit, especially grapes.

Marc refers to the solid remains of fruit after it has been pressed for juice. That residue may include the skins, pulp, seeds, and sometimes stems. In English, the word is most often used in wine contexts for what is left after grapes have been pressed, and it is often treated as another word for pomace.

This material has not always been seen as waste. One of its best-known uses is in distilled spirits. In French usage, marc can refer not only to the pressed residue but also to a brandy made from it, such as marc de Bourgogne. A closely related Italian spirit is grappa. These drinks are made by fermenting and distilling the leftover fruit matter, giving it a second life after the main juice or wine has already been taken.

Beyond distilling, marc has several practical uses. It can be turned into compost, spread as fertilizer, fed to animals in some cases, or processed further for other agricultural purposes. In some traditional settings, it has even been pressed again with water to make a thin, low-alcohol drink.

The word is especially common in discussions of traditional European winemaking, where little was allowed to go to waste. It reminds us that the remains of pressed fruit can still have value, whether in farming, food production, or spirits. While the term is somewhat specialized, it remains useful for describing an important part of the winemaking process and the products that can come from it.