Wine Wednesday Wordologie: “T” is for “Tête de Cuvée”

Demoiselle Tete de cuvee

It’s Wine Wednesday my dears, and that means it time for another Wordologie terminology lesson to help you step up your effervescent vocabulary game! Today’s term is:

Wine Wed Word Tete de cuvee gen 2

In French the term “tête” means “head” and the term “cuvée” means blend {well come through then, high school and college French lessons!}. Therefore, Tête de Cuvée = “head blend.” Official within the industry the term is defined as

“finest juice from the first pressings, sometimes referred to as ‘coeur de cuvée’ too”

“Coeur” means “heart” so it’s the blend that represents the heart of the Champagne House. Aah, isn’t that sweet

Unofficially however, the terms is often used to designate the champagne considered to be the top of the line wine of a Champagne House. Here are some examples of the Tête de Cuvée of a few Houses:

  • Taittinger has Comtes de Champagne
  • Moët & Chandon has Dom Perignon
  • Veuve Clicquot has La Grande Dame
{image credit http://data.antique-wine.com/}

{image credit http://data.antique-wine.com/}

So what does this means for bubbly lovers? It means that if you are a top of the line only kind of drinker; want a bubbly for a special occasion; or want to impress then Tête de Cuvées are certainly the way to go.

I’ve had the distinct pleasure of sipping a few têtes including La Grande Dame; Belle Epoque {Perrier-Jouët}; and Cristal {Louis Roederer} and I can definitely confirm that they have all be quite sublime sipping experiences. I’m currently targeting Taittinger, Krug, and Ruinart to try next {hey, a girl has to work her way through this costly list} so I’ll keep you posted on the experience when I do.

Are there any Tête de Cuvées you’re dying to try? Put your “head” and “heart” into it and let the corks pop!