When the first organic wines came out, there was something of a hippie stigma attached to them. The method of growing the grapes was more important than the finished product and, as a result, the wines really couldn't compare to the more traditionally produced vintages. But everyday consumers and connoisseurs alike are no longer turning up their noses at organic wines because there are excellent ones available now. More vineyards are making them and the wines are getting better all the time. The reason for the turn towards organic wine is that consumers' demand for organic products is growing in scope, stretching beyond produce. Their demand means that the market is bigger - the supermarket Sainsbury's reports over 400% growth in the sale of organic wine in the last year - and to fill it, more organic wine is being produced.

Of course, as Jonathan Ray (The Daily Telegraph wine expert) points out, "good wine is good wine" and some of the very best are not organic. But if organic is a criteria that is important to you, for reason, it's nice to know that there a good wine options and that the number of them is growing all the time.

The Guardian recently featured a piece about the increasing amounts of soy in European and American diets. While many associate soy with centuries-old Eastern traditions, The Guardian article points out that soy products like tofu and soy sauce differ from the soy milk and soy burgers of today in that the older foods have been tempered by fermentation. Several sources in the piece voice concerns about phyto-estrogen levels in unfermented soy products and their possible links to cancer and unusual hormonal development. Some experts warn that the newness of such products is a cause for caution as their longterm effects have yet to be studied in depth.

I know that it has been a while since I first mentioned my pineapple plant. If you recall, I was having some difficulty growing it because I followed less-than-wonderful directions when I began my quest. Thanks to the support of several excellent commenters, I decided to give it another go. Unfortunately, after the first few weeks, it looked as though the plant might not make it. I had it potted and outdoors in a sunny place, but it was first met with unseasonable cold then a massive heat wave. Some of the leaves began to brown and I figured that I had yet another failed plant on my hands.

I failed to pay close attention to it for a few weeks and, when I looked closely yesterday, what did I see? New growth at the center of the plant! You can see the contrast between the new leaves and the outer ones in the picture.

Who knows if it will ever bear any fruit for me, but frankly I'm pleased just to know that I don't have a "brown thumb" when it comes to pineapple growing.

Tasty, less popular grains like amaranth and quinoa are the subject of a recent Associated Press article. Apparently these grains are starting to appear more often on the average American grocery shopper's radar. And with good reason, as the AP says, amaranth and quinoa both have more iron and protein than wheat. Sales of the grains rising in big was, the AP says, citing a 25 percent increase in sales last year for the well known Bob's Red Mill brand. While these grains are probably old news to anyone who's set foot in a health food store or a Whole Foods in the last decade or two, I'm looking forward to seeing more mainstream uses for them.

Are round salt granules a big deal? They are for two Indian scientists working on developing the spherical crystals. In a recent Food Navigator interview, Parthasarathi Dastidar and Pushpito K. Ghosh said that round salt granules are less apt to cake in extreme heat and would, in general, be easier to pour. The two created the dodecahedron-shaped granules of salt with the help of a glycine, a sweet amino acid. Since round salt wouldn't need any anti-caking agents, it would be totally clear, the scientists told Food Navigator. Crucial to the survival of mankind? Probably not. Neat and interesting? Sure.

Two fairly common wine terms are "varietal" and "blend." A varietal wine is one made primarily of one type of grape, like Chardonnay, Zinfandel or Pinot Noir. A blended wine is a combination of different types of wine, designed to enhance certain flavors, rather than a certain grape. Another word that gets thrown around a lot is "vintage," which refers to the year that the grapes were produced. Judging from the location of the winery and the vintage, wine connoisseurs can pinpoint their favorite wines based upon the quality of the harvest that year.

Since 1972, winemakers in the US have been allowed to add up to 5% of one vintage to another vintage wine and still tag it the the year of the latter. Under this standard, a 2004 wine could have up to 5% of 2001 added to it, for example. This standard was increased to 15% a few weeks ago. It was done to "give greater flexibility to domestic winemakers in blending wine to better suit consumer tastes" and the Wine Institute noted that adding older, more mature wines to younger wines would help in "improving taste appeal and quality perception." Countries in the EU, as well as Australia and New Zealand, already have this 15% standard, while countries like Chile and South Africa allow up to 25%.

Some areas in the US, prestigious American Viticultural Areas, will still be using the 95% standard, if they blend with older vintages at all.