In Japan, a single bunch of grpaes of the new variety Ruby Roman has been sold on auction for the equivalent of 609 Euros - that is around 40 Euros per grape berry.

A Japanese hotelier bought the bunch, in order to serve it to his guests. It is claimed the grapes of this newly-crossed variety taste particularly sweet and fresh, and it is also one of the very first bunches of the harvest overall.

It is traditional in Japan that grapes, but also melons and other fruit realise extremely high prices. Normal grapes grown in Japan, such as those of the Muscat d'Alexandrie variety, are available for less than 100 Euros. (WF)