Display omitted •Microwave technology is a clean method for polyphenols extraction.•The optimal extraction conditions were 48% ethanol, 1.77 g extract, and 10 min.•Flavanols were the most abundant phenolic compounds in grape marc.•A DPPH· inhibition value of 87 ± 5% was obtained. The aim of this work was to extract phenolic compounds from Chardonnay grape marc employing a microwave-assisted extraction (MAE). Firstly, the effect of solvent concentration (30–60%), solid mass (1.0–2.0 g) and extraction time (5–15 min) on the recovery of phenolic content and antioxidant capacity was evaluated using a response surface methodology (RSM). The optimal parameters found by RSM were 48% ethanol for the solvent content, 10 min for the extraction time, and 1.77 g for the solid mass. The extraction was carried out at room temperature to increase scaling-up opportunities at industrial level. It was found that the phenolic profile was mainly composed of flavanols, such as procyanidins, catechin and epicatechin. Furthermore, the polyphenols obtained by MAE showed a DPPH· inhibition value of 87 ± 5% and the total phenolic content was 1.21 ± 0.04 mg GAE/mL. Finally, it was observed that the degradation temperature of the extract (≈ 200 °C) was above the temperature commonly used for the manufacture of protein films by thermo-mechanical processes. This highlights the potential use of this extract as a bioactive additive in protein film forming formulations for food and pharmaceutical applications.