JAPAN - Fruit continues to make excitable waves in the luxury line of Japanese foods, with grapes continuing to cause an extra stir.

Most recently, one bidder fought for and won a bunch of Ruby Roman grapes for 1.1 million yen, or almost $11,000 U.S. dollars. At upwards of $350 a grape, the winner seemed to feel it was a deal worth making.

“These are truly Ruby Roman gems,” bidder Takamaru Konishi of western Japan told the press, according to The Guardian. “We will display them at our store before giving our customers a sample taste.”

This bunch beats the record of last year’s reported summer auction of Ruby Romans, which went for a hefty $8,200, and the year before’s best seller of $5,400 a bunch.

This is in line with the Ishikawa prefecture’s Ruby Roman club website, which says that the prices on the sought-after variety have been rising consistently ever since it first went on sale in 2008.

Like other luxury fruits, it is common for the victor of the auction to put the bunch on display in a storefront before they are sold or used as a delicacy. This year’s buyer reported that samples will be provided to a few lucky patrons, though it wasn’t said if there would be a price attached or not.

Roughly the size of a ping pong ball, each $350 grape must weigh at least 20g and have a sugar content of at least 18%, according to The Guardian.

The sale not only made the books, but also signaled the start of the Ruby Roman season in Japan. Safe to say that this one is starting off with a bang, and we can’t wait to see what other extravagant moves the summer brings for the fruits of the season.