By Yoree Koh
Swallow this: A single bunch of Ruby Romans, the titan of Japanese grapes, on Friday sold for ¥500,000 or about $6,400 – or in more remarkable terms, that means each grape is worth about ¥20,000. A steep jump from the record fetching amount of ¥250,000 per bunch in 2009 it is by far the most expensive grapes sold in Japan and likely in the world.
- Ishikawa Chapter of Japan Agricultural Cooperative
- A single bunch of Ruby Roman grapes sold for ¥500,000 or about $6,400, twice the previous record-setting price.
Japan’s luxury fruit market hardly ceases to amaze those familiar with the extraordinary sticker prices that come with the sweet pomes. But astonished gasps swept through the auction room of a wholesale market in Kanazawa city when representatives of Le Musee de H, a local upscale pastry shop in Ishikawa prefecture, called out the winning bid. Bidding started at ¥300,000 and had made its way up to around ¥400,000 when the dessert shop stole the show, according to Toshio Shimizu, an official at the Ishikawa chapter of the Japan Agricultural Cooperative. There were 30 auction participants on Friday.
“The quality hasn’t changed that much from last year – it’s just as sweet and juicy. But perhaps increasing interest and expectation has influenced (the price jump),” said Mr. Shimizu. The final price is a 150% increase compared with the highest bid last year.
The grapes are a Japanese innovation. Local producers undertook the project in part to raise the region’s profile and toiled over the plant for 14 years, seeking to create the champion balance of sweet and juicy. The first batch finally came to market in 2008 and the most expensive bunch sold for ¥100,000.
A grape only gets the honor of being distinguished as a Ruby Roman if it meets certain qualifications: each grape must weigh at least 20 grams, sugar content must exceed 18% and the coloring should resemble a cherry tomato-red hue. And there are elite ranks as well that help determine price points. The least expensive bunch and deemed standard, weighing about 450 grams, sold for ¥25,000 on Friday. The 600 gram bunch that grabbed the record price was designated as “special class.” But that’s not the highest-ranking level. That is the “premium class,” where each grape must weigh at least 30 grams and the bunch overall weighs a minimum 700 grams, the equivalent of about 15 golf balls. None of the grapes have made the cut so far this year and there were just six in the 2010 harvest.
Nurturing the grapes to these strict standards keeps the supply limited and prices up. The ¥500,000 bunch was part of the first Ruby Romans to be shipped this season, expected to total about 10,000 bunches, about double the supply compared to last year. Eleven bundles went on the Kanazawa auction block on Friday with some bidders purchasing as many as four clusters. Auctions in Tokyo are expected to begin next month.
This is the first year Le Musee de H, one of Hironobu Tsujiguchi’s eight elite French dessert shops in Japan, took part in the Ruby Roman auction. Mr. Tsujiguchi, who competed and won in Japan’s Iron Chef TV show, is considered one of the country’s finest dessert-making prodigies. And Mr. Tsujiguchi will put his skill and grapes to good use: Along with Sanya Nagata, head chef at Le Musee de H, the two men will use the grapes to craft a dessert for a group of middle school students from tsunami-ravaged Miyagi prefecture performing at a local jazz concert. The shop said the chefs haven’t decided what they will make.
AP | Posted: 07/05/2012 4:41 am