What does 'cuvée' mean?

We often have people asking us, what exactly does cuvée (pronounced koo-vay) mean?

It's not only the name of our shop, the world cuvée also appears regularly on wine labels and in reference to specific wines. 

Let's see exactly what it means, shall we?

Cuvée is a French wine term that has been adopted globally as a word that typically references a blend, batch, or series of wine and can often used to denote a special wine or special reserve. It is derived from the French word cuve, meaning 'vat' or 'tank'. 

In Champagne the cuvée can also mean the first and best juice that is extracted from grapes upon pressing. Specifically the first 2,050 litres of juice pressed from 4,000 kgs of grapes (referred to as a marc).

You can even sometimes find the term used for other beverages such as beers and cognac. 

Due to it's special significance in Champagne, we thought cuvée was a fun word to name and brand our shop featuring a special, curated selection of Champagnes and sparkling wine.