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Wine writers are wined and dined a lot. Jo Burzynska has just returned from a trip to the Hunter Valley in Australia, where she floated above the Wyndham Estate in a hot air balloon. Burzynska though, is more likely to hit the road in search of a great story.
"I'm travelling every month. There's nothing like going to a vineyard and talking to the people who make the wine, and the New Zealand wine industry is full of youthful, experimental trend-setting folk. They're the people I relate to and who really interest me, rather than those who limit their vision by solely treading the safe, traditional paths."
The 34-year-year-old is a refreshing new face among wine writers, all the more so for her impressive qualifications and distinctive style of dress. With her sleek black bob and inspired mix of vintage and modern, Burzynska's tasting note could be best described as "a distinctive vintage, with bold flavours that leave a lingering impression".
"In the backblocks, it's a look that startles some. I remember relatively early in my career, my host for a wine trip was visibly taken aback on my arrival. He was convinced the wine writer called Jo he was to take around some wineries was an older man," laughs Burzynska on the phone from her home in Oxford, Canterbury.
But "not all wine writers are crusty old chaps quaffing claret. They're actually an increasingly diverse bunch." As one writer critic confided: "Jo can hold her hold with the best of them."
Burzynska is a seasoned wine writer; before she was 30 she was shortlisted for Wine Writer of the Year by Britain's Glenfiddich, and Prix du Champagne Lanson Awards.
A qualified wine expert and journalist, Burzynska is the New Zealand columnist for Britain's leading professional wine magazine, Harpers Wine & Spirit Weekly, and a regular contributor to international and local publications.
She was former editor at the international Drinks Buyer magazine group, associate editor of supplements at Harpers Wine & Spirit Weekly, and a freelance wine and food writer for British publications.
After many years following New Zealand's progress in Britain, Burzynska moved here permanently in 2004. She now runs Adventures in Wine at Seagar's in Oxford, where she hosts wine courses, food and wine matching with chef Jo Seagar.
She confesses she was overwhelmed at her first tasting, scrambling to make notes on the line-up of 100 wines. "You build up your wine-tasting fitness over the years. When judging, I can taste up to 200 wines. I also do a lot of blind tasting, so you're not swayed by the labels."
In her thoroughly modern way, Burzynska takes a nifty mini computer to judging sessions and tastings. Judging international wine competitions lifts her profile and gives her a fresh perspective on our wines. Her wine columns don't shirk from controversy - "I give the lowdown on my experiences, the good and bad. There are numerous stereotypes and myths associated with wine - and one of the things I enjoy doing is overturning them."
Among those urban myths are: "Most wines taste better with age, wines benefit from being opened in advance, and the one that really grates - wines have a price that reflects their intrinsic quality."
Burzynska intends to cover a broad selection of wines, discussing regional characteristics, price selection and translate wine talk into plain speak.
So if her new column had a tasting note, what would it be? "Accessible, fresh and lively, full of flavour, with a good body and crisp acidity."
