Bob Wagner used his brother’s birth certificate in 1939 to join the U.S. National Guard at 17.

He served two years and while stationed at Gettesburg waiting to be discharged, the camp received word that Pearl Harbor had been bombed by the Japanese. He went on to serve another five years during World War II.

Once out of the service, Wagner went to school and worked various jobs and landed at a small wine and spirits shop where he found his life’s passion. He bought his own shop in 1955 in South Pasadena, Calif.

This love of both the simplicity and complexity of wine has allowed Wagner to visit every continent in the world and every state in the nation, to meet former President Bill Clinton and Hillary Rodham Clinton and to lecture aboard the Queen Elizabeth II.

“My interest in wine is because it is the oldest known liquid beverage that has traversed different cultures and societies for thousands of years. Unfortunately, Prohibition in the United States was not very helpful to the research and development of the wine industry in the U.S.,” Wagner said.

This interest has allowed him to visit France, Germany and Italy more than 40 times, plus Australia, New Zealand, Chile and Argentina to purchase and study wine.

When Wagner first purchased his wine shop, there were only roughly 300 wineries in California. Today, there are approximately 3,600 wineries but most are no longer family-owned, Wagner said.

“You have to know what you’re selling. Wine is a food substance in European countries. You don’t drink it as an alcohol, you drink it with meals,” Wagner said.

Wagner, now a retired Coupeville resident, still ages hundreds of bottles in his cellar and still shares his expertise at lectures and presentations, both locally and abroad.

At his wine presentations, he reveals wine’s evolution from a sugar-based sustenance  in ancient times to the “food product” we enjoy today.

Wagner’s entrepreneurial spirit flamed to life and he studied French and Italian wines and attended wine courses in Germany. He found mentors and transformed his wine store into a full-service community shop. The young men he hired for deliveries would even walk dogs and water lawns for customers.

Wagner only hired students saving money for college; if they mentioned buying a new car, he passed over them.

“Our family believes that education is the key to knowledge,” Wagner said, adding that education allowed him to overcome poverty and become a widely-recognized wine connoisseur.

Wagner’s respect for education didn’t stop there. He funds six scholarships for needy students at Georgetown University and he assisted in raising more than $5 million to refurbish buildings for an alumni house at Georgetown, named the Robert and Bernice Wagner Alumni House for Wagner and his wife.

Wagner said he has also catered wine functions for Bob Hope, Bing Crosby and Ford Motor Company, and lectured on cruises on every major European river.

Wager, now in his 90s, has enjoyed a life full of experiences which he continues to add to today. His goal, ultimately, is to make the most of every day.

“Life is short,” Wagner said. “If you have studied civilization, which I have. You learn that life is short.”