> > > continue to cause trouble in wine and garlic countries.
> > I'm smelling smoked garlic. Smoked wine wouldn't be quite as good.
> 
> There of course is Fume blanc, an alternate name
> for Sauvignon blanc, which as you know has odors
> of cat urine, which led Ian and me to some
> amusing and marginally offcolor discussions over
> the years; apparently the California winemakers
> wanted to distance themselves from such unpleasant
> associations and came up with a name that refers
> to another less scorned flavor note that is often
> a feature of the grape, a putative smokiness.
> 

I can't see Cat Pee Sauvignon being any too marketable.  

> > > It's actually a different kind of smoky taste, perhaps
> > > equally unsettling.
> > Sounds.... odd. 
> 
> There are many kinds of trees that thrive (or
> used to) in Napa, and some of them smell terrible
> when burning. If you see a wine description that
> says something about toasty oak, you can conjure
> up the image of a somewhat pleasant flavor, but
> if I said pine creosote (also common in northern
> California), not so much.

Creosote is only good in old school dip pen ink.  
 
> > > discernible taint, but some, myself included, thought
> > > that the wines got kind of weird.
> > Bottle and serve at Star Trek conventions as Romulan Wine?  
> 
> One can market just about anything, I suppose. Lilli 
> has a bottle of Jailhouse Red that someone gave her
> as a joke gift - has a picture of Elvis on it. I have
> told her to give it as another joke gift or leave it
> for her kids as an antique. Don't throw it away ...
> but under no circumstance try to drink it.

Only break that one out if you get truly desperate. 
 
> > > > Had to noodle around a bit to come up with that one....
> > > Had to look at the pastabilities.
> > I was a little alfredo that.
> 
> Your trenne of thought seems a bit derailed.
> 
Penne for 'em. Or maybe not.