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Shine Muscat, Japan’s seedless grapes

By on November 13, 2018

Did you know that of the 200 grape varieties belonging to the Vitis vinifera species, one of the best-tasting and perfectly plump berries come from Japan?

Japan’s seedless grapes “Shine Muscat” was first registered in 2003 as Akitsu 21, a grape variety created by crossing the American Steuben and “Muscat of Alexandria” wine grapes grown in Australia, South Africa, etc.  Japan’s Shine Muscat is an exceptional seedless grape variety that’s sweet and fleshy. These bright yellow green tufts are cylindrical in shape and weigh between 400 to 500 grams.  Although the Shine Muscat is sweet, the acid content is as low as 0.3 to 0.4 g  per 100 ml and is usually eaten with the skin.

The Shine Muscat grape-growing regions (in Yamanashi, Nagano, Okayama, Yamagata, Tochigi, Fukuoka, Kagawa, Osaka, Fukushima, Hiroshima, Tottori, Oita and Shimane prefectures) grow their berries in a greenhouse using an intricate branch-by-branch method focused on producing gourmet status grapes. 

On good harvest years, the price increases by at least 20 percent year on year.  A bunch of Shine Muscat in Tokyo sells anywhere between ¥1,600 to ¥6,000 depending on the quality.

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