Why is my wine cloudy?

Do not be alarmed! Many of the reasons for cloudiness in a wine bottle has nothing to do with the quality of the wine.  It may not look crystal clear, but tastes delicious!  It is usually a choice by the producer to use less interfering techniques in the production of the wine. Most of the time, it is just a lack of filtration. Many a winemaker believe that wine is a living product and do not want to filter out all the components that keep it alive and evolving throughout its life. This brings us to the next subject affecting clarity, fining. This is when winemakers use fining agents to settle particles out of the wine chemically or physically, to form a new complex that can separate from the wine. Examples of these agents include bentonite, gelatine, isinglass, egg whites, casein, and carbon.  Some winemakers do not want to subject the wine to these components because the fining agents can strip the wine of flavor and aroma.  Lastly, natural aging of a wine can cause cloudiness due to the formation of sediment or the binding of compounds in wine, usually Phenolics.  So older wines show a bit more haze.  Bottom line, do not let cloudiness get you down.  Give it a try and stay adventurous!