Dimyat (wine)

Dimyat
Grape (Vitis)
Color of berry skin	Blanc
Species	Vitis vinifera
Also called	See list of synonyms
Origin	Bulgaria
Notable regions	Black Sea coast

Dimyat (Bulgarian: димят) is a white Bulgarian wine grape. It is one of Bulgaria's most widely planted white grape varieties, second only to Rkatsiteli. Wines made from this variety are noted for their perfume aromas. While some ampelographers believe that the variety is indigenous to Bulgaria, legends have developed around Dimiat being named after a town in the Nile Delta and was brought back to Europe by Crusaders in the Middle Ages.

The exact origins of the Dimyat grape are unknown, with some ampelographers believing the vine to be native to the Bulgaria area. Recent DNA typing has shown it to be a crossing of Gouais Blanc (Weißer Heunisch) with another, unidentified grape variety. Gouais is a parent of several older European grape varieties. One alternative hypothesis, which is highly improbable given the Gouais parentage, is the legendary tale that the grape was native to the Nile Delta valley (where today there is an Egyptian town with a similar name, Damietta) and was brought back to Thrace by Christian Crusaders.

It is likely that the grape crossed with Riesling to produce the pink-skinned Misket Varnenski grape variety.

The Dimyat grape is almost exclusively grown in Bulgaria with vineyards mostly in the south and eastern parts of the country. It is most widely planted in the Chirpan, Preslav and Shumen regions around the Black Sea. Other Bulgarian wine regions growing some Dimyat include Haskovo and Varna. After Rkatsiteli, it is the second most widely planted white grape variety with over 23,720 acres (9,600 hectares) planted in 2005.

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