🍇 Dimiat

Dimiat is a white grape from Bulgaria and one of the most widespread in the country. According to the VIVC catalogue, it covered 6,057 ha of Bulgarian vineyards in 2009. It is both a wine and a table grape: its berries are eaten fresh. It has 101 synonyms, among them Smederevka in Serbia, Zoumiatiko in Greece and Semendria.

The origin of Dimiat long remained a mystery: the second parent was thought to be unknown. Now, based on DNA marker analysis, VIVC gives a full pedigree: Dimiat is an offspring of Coarna alba and Gouais blanc. So both parents are now known, not just Gouais blanc, as was written before.

Dimiat itself became a parent of several Bulgarian bred grapes. According to VIVC, Misket trakiyski is Dimiat × Perle von Csaba, Chernomorski eliksir is Muscat fleur d'oranger × Dimiat, Chernomorski brilyant is Tamyanka × Dimiat, and Riesling bulgarski is Dimiat × Riesling. The breeder recorded Misket varnenski as Dimiat × Riesling, but DNA points to a different second parent, Traminer.

Outside Bulgaria the grape occurs in Greece, which counted 92 ha in 1999. In Serbia it is known as Smederevka: VIVC treats it as a synonym of Dimiat, not a separate grape. So one Balkan vine goes by several local names.

Why it matters to you. Smederevka from Serbia and Bulgarian Dimiat are the same grape, so you may see either name on a label. If a grape is named on a bottle of EU wine, it makes up at least 85 % of it. Like most whites, Dimiat is served at 4–10 °C.