Yvonne Lorkin: A rosé by any other name ...

Over the years I've been sent countless fridge magnets featuring wacky wine quotes like "I cook with wine. Sometimes I even add it to the food", been sent every postcard featuring words of wine-related wisdom such as the classic "A good man will make you feel strong, sexy and able to take on the world. Oh wait. That's wine, wine does that" - that sort of thing. I've seen every bumper sticker, sniggered at every joke. "Heard the one about the new wine that acts as an anti-diuretic? It's called pinot more"

But the thing that really spins my wheels is a good wine poem. I'm not sure why - maybe it's because they're like little pieces of art about one of my favourite things. I've uncovered a couple of classics, alongside a few new favourites, that I feel could bring a little literary love to our fun with wine for the week.

Dublin-born poet William Butler Yeats won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1923 for his poetry, and clearly he loved his wine

Wine comes in at the mouth
And love comes in at the eye;
That's all we shall know for truth
Before we grow old and die.
I lift the glass to my mouth,
I look at you, and I sigh.

Born in China in 701, Li Bai is regarded as a pivotal figure in the Chinese poetry of the mid-Tang dynasty, which is often referred to as the Golden Age of China. Bai wrote more than 1000 poems, many of which celebrate wine, song and friendship.

Legend has it that Bai drowned when he reached from his boat in a bid to grasp the moon's reflection in the river. In the following poem, Bai justifies his love of wine, urging people not to be ashamed about enjoying the nectar of the gods.

If heaven loved not the wine,
A Wine Star would not be in heaven;
If earth loved not the wine,
The Wine Spring would not be on the earth.
Since heaven and earth love the wine,
Need a tippling mortal be ashamed?
The transparent wine, I hear,
Has the soothing virtue of a sage,
While the turgid is rich, they say,
As the fertile mind of the wise.
Both the sage and the wise were drinkers,
Why seek for peers among gods and goblins?
Three cups open the grand door to bliss;
Take a jugful, the universe is yours.
Such is the rapture of the wine,
That the sober shall never inherit.

How true. And if we're going to trip towards the 21st century, then how about this one, which I'm sure chardonnay lovers out there will connect with.

Ode to a Mellow Glass of Chardonnay by Michael Dom

Marvellous Mellow Glass of Chardonnay
What was my life before you came my way?
My parched throat and tongue, my taste buds were rife,
My heart, my mouth, with the raw taste of life!
I would sweat by my brawn, or by my brows,
Through the days and nights, for a wife and house;
But, with a Mellow Glass of Chardonnay,
My troubles and strifes seem to wash away!
My heart, my mouth, would taste the sprite of life
If you were woman, I'd make you my wife!

And of course, we have to have one about love and infatuation ...

Sweeter Than Wine by Carrie Richards

He pops the cork from vintage vine,
then bubbles dance in scarlet wine
I look his way, his eyes find mine
The stars align, the stars align!
He pours the glass, and as it tips
one drop remains there, as I sip
I leave for him upon my lips
My heartbeat skips, my heartbeat skips!
The wine my lips had not yet met
becomes a bliss, I'll not forget
A kiss that tastes of sweet claret
Not one regret, not one regret

And finally, a lusty one for your next dinner date ...

No Wine For Me by Victoria Anderson-Throop

No wine for me, I must most vehemently decline
But, oh, I wish your moistened lips were mine
These vintages he offered me are pale
You are the prime intoxication I inhale
The wine you offer may be considered sweet
With it most meals would be gourmet complete
I could be sated it is true
If my tongue could sing with aftertaste of you
So humour me and take a little sip of wine
Then I will make your rivulet of passion mine
For then your wandering lips have blessed this glass
and from you to me that afterglow will pass.

STONECROFT GIMBLETT GRAVELS SERINE SYRAH 2012, $33
Elegantly floral, with hints of lifted Szechuan pepper, bright red fruit and smoky sweetness, this is a lovely wine that's drinking beautifully at a young age. The tannins are stretchy and soft, there's a juicy, plushness to the mouthfeel and it's really ripe and round. Great stuff. www.stonecroft.co.nz

NEUDORF MOUTERE PINOT NOIR 2012, $54
If you love pinot noir that hits that balance between bright, vibrant cherry, raspberry and plum fruitiness and brooding, mysterious, earthy tones, then this is for you. Ripe, spice-driven, smooth and warming, it has a fine vein of cocoa and smoke running through it too. Lovely to drink and really just a puppy. www.neudorf.co.nz

DRY RIVER CRAIGHALL AMARANTH MARTINBOROUGH RIESLING 2013, $45
Intensely concentrated lime and granny smith apple skin with a punch of acidity and an ultra-clean whack of wet stone minerality and chalkiness on the finish. Super-young and destined for at least a decade in the cellar, it's deliciously dry and poised for greatness. Riesling fans form an orderly line please. www.caros.co.nz