This site is about to undergo several changes which will, I hope, make it all the better and speedier. The switch to a new, much-improved platform is scheduled for Friday morning, London time, and the site will probably be down for a short while then. Please bear with us while we try to improve our appearance and efficiency.
As you may be able to tell, the your turn forum is beginning to take over this site. So many of you have questions and comments that I am finding that in its current mediated format I am currently spending so much time answering them and editing the posts that I choose to publish that I hardly have any time left for publishing material in the all-important other sections such as fine wine news, inside information, tasting notes and so on.
I very much enjoy all the contributions to the forum – they're one of the most obvious rewards to me of having this site – and, as an ex editor, I have loved giving a gentle polish to some of the posts from non English speakers and trying to ensure some sort of consistency of style in the language and abbreviations used. I also very much value the unusual courtesy and intelligence shown throughout the forum. This is not because I have edited out diatribes or insults; it's because you have, very fortunately for me, maintained exceptionally high standards here.
However, all good things must evolve if they are not to come to an end. In order to free up more of my time for adding more original material to the site, I have decided to move to an unmediated members' forum that will look decidedly less pretty and much more like other bulletin boards. You will be able to post new threads and add to existing ones directly on to the site without any intervention from me. Aaarghhh! This control freak is about to lose control!!!
I feel confident however that the new forum won't deteriorate into an aggressive bear pit and that we will be able to maintain our reputation, as noted by La Revue du Vin de France, for having "the most courteous wine forum on the planet". I will of course be answering queries in exactly the same way as before and with the same frequency, but will not have to undertake the very time-consuming editing process. And you too, I hope, will not hesitate to answer other purple pagers' queries directly if you feel willing and able. I will remain moderator of the forum, needless to say, but will remove material from it only in extremis.
This switch from the old mediated your turn to a brand new unmediated members' forum is scheduled to take place on Friday 08 sep when the whole site is switched to a new, much more powerful platform which, I hope, will make all operations speedier and will add a number of exciting new features as well as renaming a few of the sections to make them a bit clearer. The thousands of valuable posts in the old your turn section, for example, will remain accessible on the site in a section called your turn archive. The category I have called purple prose until now becomes don't quote me (kindly suggested by purple pager and WSET Diploma student Patricia Butler of California), to more clearly differentiate the gossipy nature of what it contains from inside information. Also in the members-only purple pages, fine wine reference is being renamed fine wine facts.
On the free bit of the site, there will (soon) be a brand new section comprising basic wine knowledge for beginners, while the old fine wine news will be renamed free for all, to differentiate it clearly from inside information and don't quote me which are for purple pagers only. The directory becomes links & addresses while the personal background stuff is renamed about jancis & team rather than about me.
To summarise, please keep your fingers crossed for a smooth transition on Friday morning and I hope it will all seem clearer when you see the new design. We will do our best to smooth out any glitches and omissions which arise as soon as possible, but please don't hesitate to send any feedback – we deeply appreciate it.
