I learnt that assemblage is the types of grapes used in the wine, and cuvee in wich percentage each is used. Is that right? If so, can professionals tell, for a given wine, what assemblage a wine maker made AND what cuvee he made? In other words, can they tell if in a given wine there is merlot for example and roughly how much of it there is? Thanks a lot.
Answer From Expert Roger Bohmrich MW
Let me try to define these two terms before tackling the second aspect of your inquiry. The assemblage is best thought of as the assembly of multiple origins, which might be different grape varieties, vineyard parcels, or lots of wine. The term is particularly associated with Bordeaux but is used elsewhere. Taking it one step further, it is the encépagement (cépage = grape variety in French) that refers specifically to the grape varieties grown in the vineyard, which more or less (but not exactly) translates to the proportions in an estate-sourced wine. Cuvée is a more generic term referring loosely to the final blend, or even a specific product, as this word may have a marketing role and sometimes appears on labels. It is heard in many parts of the wine world. The more specific and controlled usage of cuvée is in Champagne, where it refers to the first pressing of juice in a strictly controlled production regime as well as to the ultimate blend all base wines, before they undergo secondary fermentation and become sparkling. Your next point raises the very interesting question of whether the individual components of a wine can be identified by tasting alone. The answer is yes, but only by experienced tasters who have specialized knowledge and a high degree of tasting ability. Sometimes, a specialist who is presented with a wine "blind" (without knowing its origin) can deduce the likely grapes in a classic wine style such as a Bordeaux blend. Based on previous knowledge of typical blending formulas together with the characteristics of the specific wine, a skilled taster can judge that it contains, for example, 30% to 40% Merlot. But this estimate could well be wrong, and no taster can state assuredly that a particular wine relies on precisely 34% Merlot - except by pure luck.
