what is a cuvee

Cuvée is a French wine term that refers to a blend of wines, typically made from several grape varieties, rather than from a single variety. The term cuvée can also refer to the best grape juice from gentle pressing of the grapes, especially in Champagne and other regions producing sparkling wines by the traditional method. In this context, cuvée denotes the first 2,050 liters of grape juice from 4,000 kg of grapes, while the following 500 liters are known as the taille and are expected to give wines of a coarser character. The term cuvée is unregulated, so its use on a wine label is not a guarantee of superior quality, but discerning producers who market both regular blends and blends they call "cuvée" usually reserve the term for higher quality wines.