Description
Ruby Roman is a red table grape from Ishikawa prefecture in Japan. Breeders spent fourteen years on it: 400 seeds of Fujiminori were sown in 1995, one seedling was chosen in 2002, and the variety was named in 2004 and registered in 2007. Its berries, about twice the size of Kyoho, weigh 20 to 23 g and turn a bright red. They are juicy and low in acid with a foxy flavour.
Characteristics
Red table grape; tetraploid; open-pollinated seedling of Fujiminori; very large short-oval berries of 20–23 g; about 20 °Brix; low acidity; foxy flavour; winged-conical bunches; some cracking at ripening; vigour similar to Fujiminori; ripens late August to mid-September in Ishikawa
Growing Tips
Ishikawa's research centre rates Ruby Roman's vigour and its resistance to downy and powdery mildew and anthracnose as similar to Fujiminori's. Under plastic it ripens from late August to mid-September, and some berries may crack as they mature. Large red grapes often colour poorly in some weathers, which makes Ruby Roman's even red unusual. The name is a prefecture-managed trademark.