It looks like it is some kind of crystallization, definitely doesn't look like a creature up close (she says, optimistically!) I have resigned myself to the fact that it needs throwing out, but was curious if anyone has ever seen this before, as I never had until now.
It does move if I move the bottle. It has a curved edged, almost like if some crystals had formed around the bottom of the bottle (not sure why they would have though?) and have now come loose. Another pic here(apologies for poor quality): http://www.flickr.com...378424/in/photostream
Looks a bit more than sediment to me, something has crystalised within the bottle, maybe even the sulphites that are added to it but then again I could be wrong.
Thanks All for the answers (and to ChuckFickens for providing the bigger pics). Safe to say I will NOT be drinking it! We were given a box of wine and 2 of the bottles had this in the bottom.
Emoire....Peronally, I would never throw away wine without first tasting it. The worst is that it will taste like vinegar. In which case you can use it as such; which is what wine vinegar is....Wine which has been attacked by the vinegar fly during production.
You could of course just send it as a gift to the AB's Ed and pretend it is from me.:-)