2007 Seghesio Barbera and.....ducks???

Thoroughly enjoyed a bottle of 2007 Seghesio Barbera, Alexander Valley tonight with a bowl of baked ziti. Fans of Italian Barbera will recoil in horror at the near-black color and massive concentration of this wine. But to me, this is how Italian varietals should taste. There's a small distillery in Oregon that goes by the name of Clear Creek. I've never had their cranberry liqueur, but if I had to guess, I'd say it probably smells a lot like the Seghesio Barbera. The nose is so thick and sweet with cranberry and licorice aromas; aromas that follow right through to the palate. Wonderful trademark acidity that one would expect from Barbera with moderate tannins and a long, dusty finish. Just a beautiful wine - California fruit meets old work acidity. (Yes, this is the wine that every Piedmontese winemaker would make if he could.) Worth every penny of $28.

No, duck wasn't on the menu tonight, but we did get a pair of runner ducks from our neighbors. They reluctantly took them from some relatives who didn't want them any more and immediately gave us a call. We'd actually been eying a couple of runner ducks from the beginning since they are prolific layers and they don't fly away. A male (brown) and a female (white), right now we are calling them foie and gras. But they won't wind up on the dinner table as their meat isn't particularly prized. We'll keep them around as pets and (hopefully) incorporate them into the chicken flock.