The red grape variety originates from Italy. The name possibly derives from "bruma" (fog) and refers to the white-grey wax coating of the ripe berries (à la Nebbiolo). Synonyms are Bermestia Nera, Bermestia Rossa, Bermestia Violacea, Bermestia Violata, Pergola Rossa, Prunesta di Ruvo, Prunesta Nera, Prunesta Rossa, Prunesta Rosso Violacea, Uva de Soldato and Uva Rossa di Cagliari. According to an unverifiable hypothesis, it is said to be a descendant of the variety Capnia (meaning "smoke-coloured") mentioned by Pliny the Elder. The assumption made by the ampelogreaph Pierre Galet (1921-2019) that the Bermestia Bianca variety could be a white mutation has been refuted by DNA analyses. In Apulia, there is an unrelated table grape variety called Prunesta (Verjus Blanc). The variety is grown in Campania on the Tyrrhenian coast, mainly in the province of Reggio. It is mostly used as a blend. The area under cultivation in 2016 was 31 hectares with a strong downward trend (Kym Anderson statistics).
Source: Wine Grapes / J. Robinson, J. Harding, J. Vouillamoz / Penguin Books Ltd. 2012
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