Cuvée (blend)
German: Cuvée Pronunciation: kü-wee Also known as: Assemblage, Verschnitt
A wine made from several grape varieties, sites or vintages blended into one coordinated whole.
A cuvée is created by blending (assemblage) different wines. These can be different grape varieties, but also lots from different sites, barrels or years. The goal is a wine that offers more in balance, complexity or consistent style than its individual parts.
Well-known examples are red wines from Bordeaux or white wines from the Rhône valley. Sparkling wines such as Champagne are also mostly cuvées. Single-variety wines, by contrast, emphasise the character of one grape. The full composition is not always stated on the label.
Related terms
More from Wine and sparkling wine
Semi-sparkling wine (Perlwein)VDP (association of German Prädikat wine estates)Grape varietyChampagneGrosses Gewaechs (GG)Sommelier