The Red Claret variety was developed by the Gyeongsangbuk-do Agricultural Technology Institute. It has a large, crunchy texture like Shine Muscat, but its sugar content is lower than that of Shine Muscat.
In addition, the beautiful red color stimulates the appetite. In an interview in Sangju, North Gyeongsang Province, Kwon Min-kyung, an agricultural researcher at the North Gyeongsang Agricultural Technology Institute, said, "Last year, we conducted a trial
"We sold all 9,000 bunches we produced in 2018 at department stores," he said. "They were so popular that they sold out as gifts for the mid-autumn celebration, even at a price of over 30,000 won (3,480 yen) a bunch."
Grape production is thriving in Sangju, and grape farms are spread out all over the plains surrounded by high mountains. When you enter the vinyl greenhouse of one grape farm, you can see the grape vines beautifully.
They were lined up in a row. To increase the sugar content, one bunch of grapes was attached to each branch. Even though it was only June, the grapes were already reddish and looked delicious.
This red claret was developed to diversify grape varieties. After the FTA was signed between Korea and Chile in 2004, grape farming areas and production volumes were significantly reduced.
Contrary to concerns that all grape farms would go out of business, the atmosphere changed dramatically after Shine Muscat was brought over from Japan. Shine Muscat is now known as a delicious and highly priced grape.
The Sukatto variety became popular and the area cultivated increased seven-fold in seven years. The problem is that popularity of one variety can become concentrated, and there is a possibility that a sudden drop in prices will occur due to an oversupply at a certain time.
The point is that exports stabilize domestic prices to a certain extent, but in recent years, competition with Japan and China has intensified in the international market. Japanese Shine Muscat grapes are relatively expensive, but they are very
The characteristics of Shine are that it is high quality in Japan, whereas Chinese produce is cheap and available in large quantities.
"We began artificial breeding and investigating and researching the characteristics of the variety in 2014 when Muscat was introduced," he said, adding, "After applying for variety protection in 2021, we began trial production in 2022."
In fact, Red Claret is popular among consumers because of its large grapes, high sugar content of 21 Brix, and subtle Muscat aroma.
Even a difference of 1 Brix can make a big difference in sugar content. The average sugar content of Shine Muscat is 18 to 20 Brix, which is much higher than that of regular grapes, but Red Claret is
It is even more expensive than Shine Muscat. Another advantage is that oversupply can be prevented because the harvest season is different from that of Shine Muscat. Red Claret can be harvested in early September, and Shine Muscat is
Lee Eun-hee, secretary of the Dongtu-myeon Agricultural Cooperative Corporation, which grows Red Claret, said, "If we grow them together with Shine Muscat, the shipping period for grapes will be staggered.
This helps prevent a price crash, and the grapes are all red and easy to cultivate and manage," he said. "They will also be competitive as gifts for mid-autumn celebrations."
Because it is a domestic variety, royalties can be reduced and it is also price competitive. When importing varieties from overseas, royalties are charged every time a seedling is purchased.
The price of a single seedling for domestic varieties is about 15,000 won (US$17.38), while that for foreign varieties can reach 50,000 to 60,000 won (US$57.95).
"The production cost itself will be higher, so we have no choice but to set the price of grapes higher," said Director Lee. However, since Red Claret is aimed at the premium market, it is still in the testing stage.
Prices are set high due to the limited production volume at this time of year. Red Claret is expected to be very popular overseas. It was already sold in Vietnam, Hong Kong, Singapore and other countries last year.
"The Korean wave is raising expectations for Korean grapes," said Kwon. "In Vietnam, Hong Kong, China and other countries, red is considered a symbol of good fortune.
It is believed that the popularity of the red claret will continue to grow."
2024/06/28 07:05 KST
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