South Korea launches three new grape varieties to replace Shine Muscat

South Korea’s Rural Development Administration has launched full-scale distribution of three new grape varieties: Cocoball, Shooting Star, and Hongju Seedless, all developed to follow up on the success of Shine Muscat.

Cocoball features sugar content above 19 °Brix and loose clusters to reduce thinning labour; its cultivation area has already expanded rapidly. Shooting Star, known for its cotton-candy aroma and star-like skin, has entered market distribution with about 20 tons shipped from Sangju. Hongju Seedless, a seedless red grape, offers crisp texture and balanced sweetness; seedlings are already being distributed over 100 hectares.

The RDA plans to scale cultivation to 300 hectares by 2030 and initiate trial exports (~1 ton per variety) to markets such as Hong Kong and Vietnam.

source: biz.chosun.com

photo: koreajoongangdaily.joins.com