The human sense of smell is widely regarded as the most powerful of the human senses, not only for the role it plays in taste - 95 percent of what we taste is actually what we smell - but also for its ability to evoke the strongest of memories. Smell is vital to tasting many of the flavors we frequently describe in wine. It is why,for those with compromised olfactory sense, wine is less appealing. It is the power of the sense of smell for bringing back memories, though, that strikes us as so amazing.

Back when Mary and I lived in Wine Country, we had a culinary rosemary bush that was tragically planted in a small planter box, way too small for the size of the bush and the tree that shared it. We transplanted that bush many times as we remodeled our yard, and even uprooted it again when we moved to our second home in the area. Despite all the trauma, it just kept going, and kept getting bigger. When we moved to North Idaho, though, we sadly left it behind - rosemary does not do well with our cold winters.

Cooking with the rosemary from this bush was divine; it was incredibly aromatic and spurred me to enter what Mary dubbed my "rosemary phase" in my cooking. To this day, the smell of freshly chopped rosemary or rosemary cooking in a stew is one of my favorites. The herbs we buy commercially can't compete with the aromatic quality of our plant left in Sonoma County.

Part of my fondness for Rhone varietals, especially Syrah, is the rosemary aromatic that frequently develops in the wine. We flat-out just love that aromatic in well-made Syrah; it frequently causes us to linger over the aromas to the point of drinking the wine more slowly. We find that character in Rhone wines from the Sonoma Valley and the Rhone Valley in France to, in fact, be more prominent than any other appellation.

We recently tried a Syrah from Fieldsa out of Sonoma and BAM, there it was! We are trying to get the winery established with a local distributor, as we write. The aromatic was so intense and identifiable it took me back to sitting in our yard in mid-summer, with a glass of Sonoma Valley Syrah and a dinner of ribs and grilled polenta with rosemary.

We feel the same way about and have the same strong reaction to Pinot Noir from the Russian River Valley. For us, it is as identifiable as any appellation and varietal pairing that we know. The aromatic spectrum the wine shows of earth and ripe summer cherries leaps from the glass and is unmistakable. For me as a wine professional now, and for all wine consumers, this evocative and identifiable character in wines tied heavily to their appellation roots is one of the most romantic and compelling parts of the wine experience, and if your olfactory senses are working at full power, it is easy to learn.

If you know your favorite wine grape varietal and try a wine that really appeals to your sense of smell and taste, check for the appellation on the label; most wines will have some designation of the origin of the grapes or, at the very least, the winery. Spend some time lingering over the glass simply smelling before you drink, and start to identify for yourself the smells that appeal to you.

This is a good point to let your mind wander and search your memory bank for the aromas that are most appealing. Try not to limit your senses - let it go to herbs and earth, and meat and aromas other than the typical fruit notes we associate most with wine. As you drink this new favorite you have discovered, continue to smell the wine and allow the aroma to become part of your aromatic and palate memory.

If you have a hard time finding the appellation identifier on the label, talk to your favorite wine professional or stop by the shop - we can let you know where the fruit is sourced and the wine is made. Then try other wines from the same appellation and you will likely have your own "BAM" moment, where the aromas not only remind you of why you love wine from that area, but will also likely take you back to a wonderful spot in your wine-drinking history.

If there is a topic you would like to read about or if you have questions on wine, you can email [email protected], or make suggestions by contacting the Healthy Community section at the Coeur d'Alene Press.

George Balling is co-owner with his wife Mary Lancaster of the dinner party, a wine and table top decor shop in Coeur d'Alene by Costco. George is also the managing judge of The North Idaho Wine Rodeo and is the wine editor for Coeur d'Alene magazine, www.cdamagazine.com. You can learn more about the dinner party at www.thedinnerpartyshop.com. You can get all of these articles, as well as other great wine tips, by friending us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/#!/dinnerpartyshop