Hazy describes a wine that appears cloudy or less than clear when viewed in the glass. Haze may be intentional in wines bottled unfined and unfiltered, or it may result from suspended particles, protein instability, microbial activity or other faults. Appearance alone is not enough to determine whether a wine is sound.
Some natural or minimally processed wines retain yeast, sediment or other particles and may be hazy by design. A wine expected to be clear that develops unexpected cloudiness, especially with unusual aromas or flavours, should be assessed before service.
Example: an unfiltered wine may be slightly hazy and perfectly sound, while unexpected haze in a normally clear white wine may indicate instability or spoilage.
Related terms: brilliant describes exceptional clarity; cloudy is a general visual description and does not identify the cause.
This term is one of hundreds covered in depth across OCS courses, learning paths, and 1-on-1 coaching with Chef Eric.
