A BUNCH of Ruby Roman grapes sold at an auction house in Japan on Thursday for 1.1 million yen — almost US$11,000.

    With just 30 grapes in a bunch, that equates to roughly US$350 per grape, according to the Guardian. But these aren’t your average seedless grocery store stock — each grape is roughly the size of a ping pong ball.

    The prized grapes, which are grown exclusively in the Ishikawa prefecture along Japan’s West Coast, have become a status symbol for the ultra-rich in the country over the last decade. At harvest, each grape must weigh at least 20 grams and have a sugar content of at least 18 percent.

    This year’s winner says he will share a select samples of his prize with a few lucky patrons.

    “These are truly Ruby Roman gems,” high bidder Takamaru Konishi of Kurashi Kaientai supermarkets in western Japan told the media after sealing the deal on his record-breaking buy.

    “We will display them at our store before giving our customers a sample taste.”

    Last year, chef Masayuki Hirai of Hotel Nikko Kanazawa paid US$8,200 for a bunch of 26 Ruby Roman grapes.

    The sale kicks off the annual fruit auction season for in Japan.

    Other fruits, from apples to watermelons, are also expected to fetch jaw-dropping sums.

    In Japanese culture it is common for expensive fruit to be given to a guest by wealthy individuals or corporations.

    The king of fruits in the country is the melon, which serves as a status symbol akin to a vintage wine, and is given as a high-ranking gift.

    A single pair of melons fetched 1.5 million yen at an auction last year.(SD-Agencies)