The red grape variety originates from Bulgaria. Synonyms are Chiroka Melnichka, Melnik, Shiroka Melnischka Losa, Shiroka Melnichka Loza, Siroka Melniska and Tajke e Zeze.The name means "the broad-leaved vine of Melnik"; Melnik is the smallest Bulgarian town with only a few hundred inhabitants on the southern edge of the Pirin Mountains on the border with Greece and is known for its sandstone pyramids. The variety has been cultivated here for centuries. According to an unlikely hypothesis, it was supposedly introduced from Asia as early as 2,000 BC and used by the Thracians for wine production. The exact ancestry (parentage) is unknown. The variety was a crossing partner in the new varieties Melnik 82, Melnik Yubileen, Melnishki Rubin, Ranna Melnishka Loza (with which it is often confused) and Ruen.
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