Welcome to Second Leaf, the chronicles of my adventures in wine. My name is James Jory and I call the Sierra Foothills of Northern California my home. When not working as a software architect, I enjoy spending time with my family and all things wine & photography.
Why “Second Leaf”? Well, I wanted the name of this blog to embody a couple concepts.
First, in the vineyard, the age of vines are commonly measured in “leaves” where each growing season represents a new generation of growth. Since my modest backyard vineyard of 56 vines, Sorella Ridge, was in its “second leaf” when I launched this blog in 2006 (and will surely be the subject of many posts), the name fits there. The photograph above is from one of my Barbera vines just three weeks after planting.
Next, I wanted to draw a parallel to the popular online virtual world, Second Life, where users are free to re-invent themselves online. Although I am not a professional viticultarist or winemaker, I must admit that the idea of being one sure sounds appealing. So, if you’ll indulge me a bit, I intend to live out my fantasy as a wine grower and winemaker in these pages.
Of course, I will also blog about tasting notes, happenings in the world of wine, technology and wine, and whatever else comes to mind.
I welcome your comments and suggestions (james at secondleaf dot com) and hope you enjoy my second leaf.