Strict Evaluation: Hwaseong Selects Top 5 Shine Muscat Farms

[Anchor]

Hwaseong Special City in Gyeonggi Province held a Shine Muscat evaluation event targeting local grape farms.

After a rigorous screening process, five exemplary Shine Muscat farms were selected, and reporter Choi Ho-won visited the scene.

[Reporter]

Twenty-two baskets filled with Shine Muscat grapes are placed on tables in the auditorium.

These are the grapes submitted by farms in Hwaseong, Gyeonggi Province, for the 3rd Shine Muscat Evaluation.

Local parents and nutritionists serving as judges take turns tasting them one by one.

[Shin Ji-young / Parent Judge: A subtle apple or mango scent lingers at the end of the palate, giving you a very pleasant aftertaste. We focused mainly on the sugar content and that subtle aroma.]

Previously, Hwaseong City officials visited the farms in person to meticulously check everything from pest management to product packaging and storage facility conditions.

Among the farms that completed all three stages of evaluation—farm inspection, measurement, and appearance—five were chosen as the Top 5 Outstanding Farms.

As Shine Muscat has gained immense popularity over the past 10 years, Hwaseong has also seen the cultivation rate of Shine Muscat rise to 45%, following Campbell early grapes at 53%.

Recently, competition has become even fiercer due to falling prices.

[Ko Young-mi / Head of Fruit Tree Technology Team, Hwaseong City: Shine Muscat cultivated in Hwaseong grows while receiving sea breezes, resulting in high sugar content. Because the clayey soil retains moisture well, farms can cultivate high-sugar Shine Muscat without having to supply excessive water.]

Shine Muscat grapes are tastier when a white powdery bloom is evenly distributed on the surface of the berries and the berries are resilient.

Products shipped in mid-to-late October tend to show a yellowish hue as they ripen fully, and their sugar content is higher accordingly.

[Jeong Myeong-geun / Mayor of Hwaseong Special City (last month): The sugar content of grapes nationwide is around 15 Brix on average. Our Hwaseong Songsan grapes are 19 Brix. That is a huge difference.]

Building on Campbell grapes, Hwaseong City plans to elevate the quality of Shine Muscat as well, further boosting domestic sales as well as overseas exports, which stand at around 50 tons annually.

(Video by Jang Woon-seok | Footage provided by Hwaseong Special City)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.