In Champagne production, cuvée is the first juice extracted when grapes are gently pressed.
The term is especially important because the first pressing is considered the finest fraction of the juice. It is generally clearer and less loaded with compounds from grape skins than later pressings. Champagne houses use it for many of their most refined wines, although production practices differ among producers.
The later pressing fraction is called taille. In the traditional Champagne press system, a pressing produces both cuvée and taille, while the remaining grape material is known as marc. These fractions can be handled separately or used in different blends.
Cuvée can also mean a particular blended wine or a named bottling, so its meaning depends on context. In a pressing question, however, it specifically means the first juice fraction, not a finished Champagne label.