Ampelographers do not yet know definitively the origins of Prié blanc but evidence shows that it is a very old variety that has been growing in the Valle d'Aosta region of northwest Italy since at least 1691 when it was documented as one of the grapes growing in the commune of Saint-Pierre near the city of Aosta. The origins of the name Prié is unknown but one of the grape's early synonyms Blanc du Valdigne comes from the Latin name for the upper reaches of the Aosta Valley that extends to Mont Blanc with some ampelographers speculating that grape maybe indigenous to the foothills of the mountain. Another synonym Agostena which maybe derived from the ancient Latin name for the city of Aosta, Augusta Praetoria, also hints to the grape's long history and potential origins in this region. However, the name could also be a derivative from the Italian word agosto referring to the month of August when this early ripening variety is sometimes ready to be harvested.