First opened in March of 1980, Bob & Sheree’s Wine Shoppe has been an icon in Fayetteville for the last 30 years.

When first generation Italian Robert Accetturo moved to North Carolina with Sheree, they were seeking to combine Sheree’s California wine training with Bob’s retail and pub business experience. North Carolina did not even have a liquor license to handle Bob and Sheree’s request. A license had to be specially crafted to allow them to work with both beer and wine, and to allow taste testing to be handled on the premises. Bob and Sheree were eventually asked to make a choice between wine tasting or beer tasting, the state would not allow both. In the end, they chose to offer wine tasting.

Although Bob passed away Christmas of 2009, the business remains a family run business with Sheree at the helm and their son, Nunzio, helping run the two Fayetteville shops. Family and history are an important part of the life of the shop. Sheree speaks with passion about not only the business, but the importance of community and culture and how “bringing the best to the table” helps others make and maintain their connections with their loved ones.

The shop’s main vision is educating its patrons in making personal selections that will please each individual’s palate. Its goal is to “help you make the right decision every time you come in,” says Sheree. She equates selecting the right beer or wine to people selecting a particular scent to wear.

“I can’t ask someone to wear my perfume,” she says, “It fits like a puzzle, there is not one grape for everyone — each person is different.”

She is so committed to satisfaction that the shop offers a 100 percent unconditional money back guarantee on purchases made, even if you just did not like it

.The shop prides itself on offering a wide variety of wine and beers that are not available elsewhere in the community. A best seller for the last 15 years, Moscato D’Asti by the Saracco family was brought to Fayetteville by Bob and Sheree. Sheree recounts that when Bob was born in Chicago, the midwife listed on Bob’s birth certificate was from the Saracco family.

They also have upwards of 1,200 beers available at any given time. When Sam Adams introduced its limited edition Infi nium beer last year, the entire state of North Carolina was only allotted 40 cases. Sheree’s shop was given one case. She called the company directly to plead for more than those 12 bottles for the Fayetteville community, and was rewarded with an additional three cases. She took no advance orders, but offered them on a first-come first-served basis — one bottle per person.

Active in the community, the shop hosted wine tastings on Fort Bragg for the incoming commanders for more than 15 years. In past years they have hosted afternoon wine tastings at the shop, with the well-known DJs of Bob and Sheri in the Morning, capitalizing on the name word play. The shop’s staff has also taught classes to the staffs at local restaurants, helping to teach servers the proper way to serve and present wine, and how to deal with tricky customers.

While many of the wines and beers you will fi nd on hand are imported, you can also fi nd some great local products. If you are looking to acquaint yourself with some North Carolina wines, Bob & Sheree’s may have the widest selection in the area. The shop carries many of the state’s wines in both red and white.

With two locations, (2828 Raeford Rd. and 238 Hay St., Bob & Sheree’s Wine Shoppe offers much more than a fantastic selection of beer and wine from around the world. The shop offers “vintage hospitality” that is rare in our fast-paced society. Be sure to check out their Facebook page at: www.facebook.com/pages/Bob-Sherees-Wine-Shoppe.

Photo: Sheree offering a toast in the shop.