I might do a little taste test to see if if I can discern any differences between one with the crystals and one without, just for the hell of it. Until I read some of the comments, I had forgotten that I was likely concerned the first time I saw them, not knowing what they were and if they could be harmful, or something that shouldn’t have been in the bottle.
David, that plug in the neck is crazy.
I had a wine I opened not too long ago. For some reason, not sure why, I remember looking the bottle over, and it was basically a “clear” wine. Pulled the cork, and the bottom looked like someone grinded it in glass. I guess I had a diamond tipped cork. Wine was fine, no crystals anywhere, no sediment. It all stuck to the bottom of the cork.
I have had a few bottles, stored upside down for a bit, where the bottoms of the cork was encrusted.
For some reason I find it amusing when the corks have the stalactites on them.
One of the drawbacks of the notoriously cold cellar.