Wine Glossary
Definition: Cuvee
[koo-VAY] Term derived from the French cuve (which means vat) that denotes the "contents of a vat." In France's champagne region, it refers to a blended batch of wines. In Champagne, the large houses create their traditional (and very secret) house-style cuvees by blending various wines before creating the final product via methode champenoise. Outside Champagne the term cuvee is also used for still wines. It may refer to wines blended from different vineyards, or even different varieties. Occasionally, the word cuvee followed by a number is used to identify a specific batch of wines blended separately and distinctly from others.
Source: Answers.com; Wine Lover's Companion - R & S Herbst
