The red grape variety originates from Croatia. Synonyms grouped alpabetically by country are Morellone, Primaticcio, Primativo, Primitivo, Primitivo di Gioia, Uva di Corato, Zagarese (Italy); Crljenac Kaštelanski, Crljenak Crni, Crljenak Kaštelanski, Plavac Veliki, Pribidrag, Trebidrag (Croatia); Grakošija, Gratošija, Krakošija, Kratkošica, Kratkošija, Kratkošija Crna, Kratošija, Kratošijo (Montenegro); Zinfandel (USA). It should not be confused with the varieties Blatina, Crljenak Crni, Plavac Mali or Vranac, despite seemingly suggestive synonyms or morphological similarities. According to DNA analyses carried out by scientists Dr Carole Meredith and John Bowers at the University of California in collaboration with Croatian and Italian grapevine specialists from 1994 to 2011, the identity, which had been unclear for decades, was clarified:
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