Cloudy

Beginner Faults & Defects

Definition

Haze or turbidity in wine that should be clear.

In Depth

Cloudiness in filtered wines indicates a fault — possible causes include protein instability (whites), refermentation, bacterial contamination, or poor fining. However, unfiltered and natural wines may be intentionally cloudy without any fault present. Context matters: if the producer deliberately bottles without filtration, cloudiness is a style choice, not a defect.

Details

Category
Faults & Defects
Difficulty
Beginner

Part of the Beverage FYI Family

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