Mereshnik (also spelled Meresnik) is a rare white grape cultivar traditionally grown in Albania. It is primarily used as a table grape and belongs to the group of aromatic, Muscat-type varieties. The grape is distinguished by its pronounced fragrance, often described as musky or perfumed.
Etymology The grape's name is associated with the obsolete Albanian word mereshnik, meaning “aroma” or “fragrance”, which derives from meresh, a term referring to scent or smell.
Meresh has also been linked to South Slavic languages, including Bulgarian miriz and miris ("smell, scent") and Croatian miris ("fragrance, scent; perfume"). These words have further been traced to the Greek μύρισα (mýrisa), the aorist of μυρίζω (myrízo), "to smell".
Seemingly, the name may have originated as a descriptive reference to the cultivar's strongly aromatic, Muscat-like character.
Ampelography Mereshnik is a white-berried cultivar classified as a table grape and forms part of the grapevine collection preserved at the Albanian Fruit Science Institute (IKPFV) in Vlorë.
See also Albanian wine
References