Rob,

I agree with you 100%. The shop owner sounds like a con artist to me.

Here's another tip for "speed breathing" a bottle of wine. Open it &
pour out about a glassful. Seal the bottle bottle with a Vac-U-Vin
stopper, and pump it to a high vacuum. Slight foaming may appear. (The
next step is not for the faint of heart or weak of hand.) Holding the
bottle by the top with one hand, give it a sharp thump with the heel of
the other hand. This will generate a shock wave which will nucleate
millions of bubbles, thereby eliminating a lot of CO2 in seconds. The
process can be repeated 'til no more CO2 evolves. If you compare the
treated wine to the glassful removed, you should find a marked improvement.

Because no O2 is introduced, this degassed wine doesn't fade like
aerated (shaken) wine.

I wouldn't do this to a Fine Wine, but I've yet to do it to a bottle and
not get an improvement. Hmmm....Maybe I need to buy better wines. ;-)

Luck, Mike MTM