Meet Anne

As the Barrel Turns...

Anne is my wife of 38 years and partner in everything. Anne likes pictures. She says that I’ll thank her someday for all of the pictures. Maybe she is thinking of the 2 TB of photos on her external hard drive in the safety deposit box. Or maybe the wardrobe full of photo albums from ancient days (before digital) that have faded like my eyesight. 

Anne also likes to communicate. In other words, how can I put this…, she likes to talk. If you know her, enough said. If you don’t, well, she is a sweetie. Now I don’t mind all of the talking, but she expects me to listen. Not only do I have to listen, I have to engage and look her in the eye! Come on. I’m a man for goodness sake. Just be satisfied with a Hummm and a grunt every now and then while I’m reading the Wall Street Journal or watching the weather channel; in the next room. Our dachshund, Snickers is a better listener than me. At some point, we realized that I was not hearing like a young man. I told Anne that God made my ears to only hear so many words in my lifetime. I hypothesized that I had heard the equivalent of a centenarian by age 50, so she needed to give me a break. She was not humored, nor deterred. I still think my theory is valid. I only have a few words left to hear. I need to make them count!

When Anne meets someone, she engages her victim expertly. Like a trained professional, she can lock into your vision and you are helplessly engaged in the conversation before you know it. She is so good that you will not even realize it for several minutes. Then it is too late. You have been friended the old fashioned way. In a crowded banquet room, you are the only one present. Among dignitaries, you are the most important person in the room. When she gets your attention, you are center stage. You will voluntarily reveal your life story. Next you will check your social calendar. Then I’ll have to feed your family after church on Sunday at my house. She genuinely likes people and wants to know about you and how you are doing. When you come to M6, guess who greets you at the door.

Since Anne is so social, she is naturally gifted to be the M6 Marketing Director. She has become a whiz at social media. She can point, click and post to Instagram like a millennial. She is convinced that if we post a “cute” picture of me mopping the floor then that will result in swarms of visitors to the Tasting Room. During construction, I kept painting over the spots on the wall until I realized that my eyes had not yet adjusted from the flash. She will take your picture and make you feel good about it. She has a lot of contacts and (unlike me) wants more. If you sign our guest book in person or online, Anne will see to it that you are kept up-to-date with M6 news.

Anne lets me handle the tastings. She likes for me to present the wines. She likes to hear me talk about the varietals and the blends. Aromas, flavors and taste are intriguing to her. After visitors are released from the inquisition, I am prepared to entertain with wine speak. Since I have no notes, Anne is there to make sure that I do not leave out any important details. I usually begin by saying something like, "This wine is a very nice blend made from"....and then Anne takes over the discussion. After all, she is the real expert. She drank most of the wine I made over the past decade. She now even has her own wine. Check out our Sweet Tex Anne for a refreshing sweet white wine.