speaking of refridgerated restaurant wines...

[Randy Caparoso]

No, in all likelihood those crystals were in the bottle long before the restaurateur got ahold of it. What you found are crystalized residuals of tartaric acid -- the predominant natural acid of the grape -- which are perfectly tasteless and harmless (except it might look a little gnarly). In most cases, wineries have settled or filtered their tartaric crystals out before bottling; but many wineries (although a definite minority these days) believe in minimal intervention, and thus would rather live with the crystals rather than taking the chance of losing some natural, delicate flavors. German whites, for instance, very often come with these crystals.

Think of them as a positive thing; because to me, wine almost always taste better at the wineries straight out of the tank or barrel -- before they've been "treated." Crystals in your bottle are the next best thing!