Japanese grapes auction: Ruby Romans fetch record price

**Neo** · 08-07-2016, 03:38 PM

A bunch of grapes has sold for a record-breaking $11,000 (£8,500) in Japan, where fruit often commands high prices and social prestige.
A supermarket owner from western Japan walked away with 30 grapes, each worth about $360.
They were the first Ruby Romans - a super sweet grape variety grown in Ishikawa prefecture - of the season.
"We will display them at our store before giving our customers a sample taste," Takamaru Konishi said.
The Japanese are often willing to pay top-dollar for premium samples of fruit, sometimes with the intention of giving them as gifts to people perceived to be of higher status - for example, their boss at work.
A single apple can cost up to $3. And melons are sometimes sold for the equivalent price of a vintage wine.
Last year a pair of melons sold under the hammer for more than $12,000.
"I am so happy and I am honoured," Mr Konishi said.
"These are truly Ruby Roman gems."

Japanese grapes auction: Ruby Romans fetch record price - BBC News

**Norton** · 08-07-2016, 08:21 PM

Originally Posted by Neo

a pair of melons

A fine pair can be far more than $12k. Mine cost about $300k just to get rid of the bitch.

**Maanaam** · 08-07-2016, 08:35 PM

Some people have more money than sense.
But I guess if that's the market, then all the best to the consumers.

**ENT** · 08-07-2016, 09:03 PM

One season in NZ, I had to cultivate then pick square chieftain apples for export to Japan.

Crazy bunch these Japs, they'd pay up to NZ$25 in Japan for one of them.

Very expensive fruit, grown then in wooden formers, but plastic ones are in use these days. These gigantic square apples (around 8 inches square) were a big earner for a few orchardists.

The Japs also like square watermelons and the Germans insisted on square cucumbers for the EU market at one stage.

Square heads these Japs and Germans, no wonder they got on in WW2, eh.

**baldrick** · 08-07-2016, 09:17 PM

have they tried to auction butterfly's grapes ?

**ENT** · 08-07-2016, 10:26 PM

What's the dangle berry market like these days? Japs got strange tastes, Chinese are weirder!

**Maanaam** · 09-07-2016, 06:32 AM

Originally Posted by ENT

What's the dangle berry market like these days? Japs got strange tastes, Chinese are weirder!

You'd have to leave them in a square former for a few months. Sounds painful.

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