| Bunch of Grapes Auctioned for $910 in Japan | ||
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3 images... TOKYO - A new variety of premium grapes debuted in Japan on Monday, with a single bunch fetching as much as 100,000 yen ($910).  A Japanese hotel manager paid that amount, or about 2,860 yen ($26) per grape, for a 1 1/2 pound (700-gram) bunch of the Ruby Roman grapes to serve guests at an upscale hotel, officials said.  “We believe the price was probably a record high,” said local agricultural official Hirofumi Isu. “They’re delicious — sweet but fresh at the same time, very well balanced.” The tomato-colored grapes made their debut at an auction in Japan’s northwestern Ishikawa prefecture, where they have been under development since 1994 in a state-led project. The bunch that fetched the top price had about 35 grapes, each slightly smaller than a pingpong ball, Isu said.  The average price for the Ruby Roman grapes at Monday’s auction was about 27,000 yen ($245) a bunch. Isu said local farmers hope to sell 1,500 bunches, or 1 ton, of the grapes by mid-September. Fruit is generally expensive in Japan, and people often buy grapes, peaches and melons as luxury gifts. Japanese are often willing to pay top prices for high-end fruits, especially for the prestige of owning the very first ones of the year.
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