Haze in wine: a finding, not a fault

The standard

A cause-based assessment of haze determines the origin of the particles before it judges any treatment. Protein, tartrate and yeast lead to the same picture and to different conclusions.

Criteria

  • The cause is determined before the finding is evaluated
  • Tartrate and sediment count as precipitation, not as haze
  • Microbial activity remains distinguished from physical instability
  • Clarity counts as a state, not as a mark of quality

Distinction

Haze ≠ filtration: filtration is an intervention, haze a finding. Haze ≠ oxidation: the one process alters the appearance, the other the taste. A cause-based assessment of haze keeps the two apart.