Shine Muscat grapes, once a symbol of South Korea’s appetite for high-end seasonal produce, have rapidly lost their premium luster as a trend-fueled boom gave way to oversupply and weakening consumer demand.
Just a few years ago, the emerald-colored grapes commanded luxury-tier prices. At the height of the craze in 2020, a 4.4-pound box typically retailed for between $20 and $35, while a single gift-quality cluster could fetch around $13 — prices that stood out even in global specialty markets. Today, the same quantity often sells for under $10, a decline that officials and analysts attribute almost entirely to domestic overproduction rather than shifting global tastes.
Government data shows retail prices have fallen more than 50% from typical seasonal norms and now sit at roughly one-third of their 2020 peak. The collapse closely follows a rapid surge in cultivation. Once a niche crop, Shine Muscat quickly became the country’s dominant grape variety as farmers rushed to cash in on the trend, expanding acreage far faster than demand could absorb.
As growers crowded into the market, quality began to slip. Consumers increasingly report grapes that are less sweet or inconsistent in texture — issues agricultural experts tie to hurried cultivation and uneven farming practices. The decline in flavor has further cooled demand, compounding the downward pressure on prices.
South Korea’s agriculture ministry is now urging farmers to scale back volume-driven production and focus instead on practices that preserve sweetness, which originally set the grapes apart. Officials warn that the pursuit of oversized clusters to justify higher prices has ultimately undermined quality and long-term market stability.
The rise and fall of Shine Muscat has become a cautionary tale in South Korea’s trend-driven food economy — a vivid example of how quickly a product can lose its luxury status when a boom overheats and supply races ahead of demand.
