🍇 Pleven
A Bulgarian white table grape, crossed in 1961 in Pleven from Italia and Jantar.
Pleven is a white table grape from Bulgaria. According to VIVC, it was crossed in 1961 at the Institute of Viticulture and Enology in the town of Pleven, hence the name. The catalogue classes it as a table grape with white berries, hermaphrodite flowers and fully formed seeds, and the variety is listed in the European catalogue of varieties.
According to the breeder, Pleven comes from a cross of Italia and Jantar, another white table grape from Bulgaria; VIVC records the pedigree as complete but not confirmed by DNA markers. Jantar itself, according to the markers, descends from Queen of the Vineyards and Afus Ali. Samples of Pleven are kept in 9 collections in different countries.
Why it matters to you. Pleven is not an Italian variety, although one of its parents is called Italia: the name refers to the Bulgarian town where it was created. If you find it at a market, it is a grape for the table, not for wine.
How it connects to Wine
🍇 Pleven → kind of → 🍇 Grape varieties → kind of → 🍷 Wine
Links
- Part of
- 🍇 Table grape, 🍇 Grape varieties
- Origin
- 🗺️ Bulgarian wine
- Parents
- 🍇 Italia
Frequently asked questions
Is it true that Pleven is an Italian variety?
No. According to VIVC, it was crossed in 1961 at the institute in Pleven, Bulgaria. Italia is only the name of one of its parent varieties.
Which varieties is Pleven descended from?
According to the breeder, from Italia and the Bulgarian white variety Jantar. VIVC lists the pedigree as complete but does not mark it as confirmed by DNA markers.
What is Jantar?
A white table grape from Bulgaria and one of Pleven's parents; according to VIVC's DNA markers, it descends from Queen of the Vineyards and Afus Ali.
What to read next
- 🗺️ Bulgarian wine — Wine of Bulgaria: 31,234 ha of vines in 2025, two regional PGIs, the Danube Plain and the Thracian Lowland, and 52 PDOs.
- 🍇 Italia — A white table grape with a Muscat flavor: Alberto Pirovano crossed Bicane with Muscat Hamburg in 1911; it is one of the grapes of Uva di Puglia PGI.
Similar
🍇 Super Ran Bolgar · 🍇 Brestovitsa · 🍇 Rusalka · 🍇 Sungurlarski Biser · 🍇 Yulski Biser · 🍇 Vinenka
Sources
- VIVC (Vitis International Variety Catalogue): passport Pleven
- VIVC (Vitis International Variety Catalogue): passport Jantar
- Wikidata