The red grape variety comes from the Balkan region - probably Montenegro. Synonyms are Kratošija, Prhljavac, Varjusszoeloe, Vranac Crmnichki, Vranac Crni, Vranac Ornogorski, Vranac Prhljavac, Vranac Rehuljavi, Vranak, Vranatz, Vranatz Hrstacha, Vranec, Vranek, Vranetze and Vranik. This probably very old variety was already widely cultivated in the Middle Ages. It is probably identical with the Styrian variety Vranek described by Hermann Goethe (1837-1911) in his Ampelographic Dictionary published in 1878. However, the parentage (parenthood) is unknown. According to DNA analyses carried out in 2004, a parent-offspring relationship exists with the variety Tribidrag (Crljenak Kaštelanski, Primitivo, Zinfandel). This is also the reason why Vranac is often confused with this mixed cultivar.
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