For the next six weeks this site will be under new management. Well, not exactly new, but different.
As some of you know, Julia (left) and José Vouillamoz have been working very much harder than I have on the great big grape book we are assembling for publication by Allen Lane, Penguin's top non-fiction imprint, in September 2012. Thanks to my commitments to the Financial Times, my syndicated bimonthly columns, myriad other engagements and, particularly, the hours I spend each day on JancisRobinson.com, I have not been able to devote nearly enough time to this massively detailed guide to all the grape varieties of interest to today's wine lover. So, for the next six weeks, I am taking an enforced break from this site.
Although at least one article by me will be published each week, the day to day running of, and most of the input to, JancisRobinson.com will be the responsibility of the Three Muskateers: Julia Harding MW, Tamlyn Currin (pictured top left by Alain Reynaud at Millésime Bio in Montpellier earlier this year) and Richard Hemming (below).
Julia will, I'm sure, revel in the novelty of not being hunched over the minutiae of the grape book, and I know she has so much knowledge to share with us all. I'm also thrilled to be able to encourage Tam to do a bit more writing instead of her usual backroom routine of feeding and maintaining our massive tasting notes database, because what she has written for us so far has been delightful. And I'm sure that Richard, journalist manqué and would-be Master of Wine, will respond superbly to the challenge of keeping you entertained and informed.
Late July and August being one of the quieter periods in the wine calendar, you may find the site is not updated quite as neurotically often as at some other times of year. The big challenge for me, once my fingers have been prised off the JR.com keyboard, will be to concentrate on the grape book and to resist the temptation to check the site obsessively. I will also forswear Twitter, some of you may be delighted to know.
I know that I am leaving you in extremely good hands. Please wish me luck with all that I have to do on the grape book over the next six weeks. I am looking forward very much already to being back in the JR.com saddle at the end of August.