The red grape variety originates from Italy. The name is possibly derived from "bruma" (fog) and refers to the white-grey wax coating on the ripe berries (à la Nebbiolo). Synonyms are Bermestia Nera, Bermestia Rossa, Bermestia Violacea, Bermestia Violata, Pergola Rossa, Pergolese di Tivoli, Prunesta di Ruovo, Prunesta Nera, Prunesta Rossa, Prunesta Rosso Violacea, Prunesta Violacea, Uva Nera Antica, Uva de Soldato and Uva Rossa di Cagliari.

According to an unverifiable hypothesis, it is a descendant of the ancient variety Capnia (meaning "smoky-coloured") mentioned by Pliny the Elder (23-79).
The ancestry (parentage) is unknown. The assumption made by ampelographer 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).
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Roman Horvath MW
Domäne Wachau (Wachau)