希腊葡萄酒的“双岛记”

我喜欢希腊各种各样的葡萄酒已经很久了，这个小小的国家有着许多令人兴奋的本土葡萄品种、对比鲜明的风土以及许多充满激情的酿酒师，他们信心十足地酿造着个性独特的葡萄酒，不屑于去复制模仿其他国家的风格。在我去圣托里尼岛和凯法利尼亚岛的旅程中，这些观点又一次得到了证明。

I have a longstanding love of Greece’s diverse array of wines. This tiny country has numerous exciting indigenous grape varieties, contrasting terroirs and many passionate winemakers, confidently creating their own unique styles, rather than replicating those found elsewhere.These aspects were well-demonstrated on a trip I took to the islands of Santorini and Cephalonia.

圣托里尼岛是爱琴海边上一个新月形的岛屿，岛上有黑色的沙子和浮石土，事实上这是一座古老火山的火山口。圣托里尼岛的白葡萄酒由本土葡萄品种阿斯提可酿制而成，拥有独特的尖锐酸度并带有矿物质味道，这让它在国际上享有盛誉。在希腊的另一边，阳光普照的凯法利尼亚岛上，那里有闪闪发光的石灰岩土壤和银砂土壤。凯法利尼亚岛出名的白葡萄酒是用丽波拉酿制而成的，十分优雅迷人。这两个神话般的葡萄品种在此处都有着悠久的酿酒历史，且如它们所起源的两个岛屿一样常常被比较。

圣托里尼岛主要的生产商，例如嘉雅酒庄、斯格拉酒庄和阿格若斯酒庄在接近沙漠的条件下酿造着世界级的白葡萄酒。这种易碎的灰色火山土壤含水量很少，藤本植物主要靠分布广泛和低产量而生存，这些植株通常很古老，有着很深的根系。葡萄的栽培在这里已经有3000多年的历史并形成了独特的栽培体系。葡萄树并不是架在架子上，而是在地上被编织成螺旋状，就像一个篮子一样让葡萄就在里面生长，以此来躲避烈日和干燥的风。葡萄根瘤蚜无法在沙质土壤中生存，因此葡萄藤是不用嫁接的，长在自己本身的根系上。据说这里的许多葡萄藤已经有数百年的历史，当藤篮长得太大时顶部就会被砍掉，底部还是会继续生长。

经典的圣托里尼阿斯提可葡萄酒，比如嘉雅酒庄的优质老藤阿斯提可白葡萄酒，其特色是极干型，未经橡木桶陈年，酸度极高并且酒体强劲，中性风味，有矿物性的水果气息。由于产量低所以风味浓缩，短暂和炎热的生长季减少了果实的芳香味。类似于雷司令的甜橙味道可能会随着瓶陈时间的增长而发展。这些葡萄酒惊人的爽脆感使它们非常适合做餐酒搭配，尤其适合搭配海鱼。在炎热的气候下饮用，更能让人耳目一新。有些葡萄酒有轻微地过桶，这不利于它们棱角分明的特性，但它们仍然是优秀的葡萄酒。圣酒也同样是在圣托里尼岛酿造，这是一种非常甜的葡萄酒，产量很小，由晒干的阿斯提可酿制而成，阿格若斯酒庄的圣酒无疑是希腊最好的葡萄酒之一。

在凯法利尼亚岛，人们用丽波拉酿造出优雅、新鲜且诱人的葡萄酒，在奥马拉山谷高海拔地区生长的葡萄酿成的葡萄酒尤为突出。艾诺斯山断裂的石灰岩斜坡为许多小丽波拉葡萄园提供了生长环境，但是这些葡萄园的面积很少会超过数公亩。葡萄藤并没有做绑枝，主要依靠的就是自己的根系。矮小的灌木丛相距1-2米，高度在50厘米左右，它们的嫩枝伸展在干燥的白垩土地面上，就像一张厚厚的葡萄叶地毯。葡萄园的中间散布着橄榄园，山羊通常被拴在葡萄树的中间。几个世纪以来，凯法利尼亚岛中心地区的葡萄栽培很少发生变化。

顶级生产商，例如来自根特里尼酒庄的佩德罗斯·马克安东尼和玛丽安娜·克斯梅塔托会采用现代化的低温酿酒技术生产出诱人、精致、新鲜、令人垂涎欲滴的葡萄酒，这些葡萄酒有精致而爽脆的柠檬口感和花朵香味，以及白色花朵的气息。当地合作社的葡萄酒会用麻布袋来装着酒瓶，虽然包装简单但仍然令人感到十分愉悦。

这是我喜欢的2个岛屿，但从曼提尼亚芳香的玫瑰妃白葡萄酒到结构良好、带有微苦但味道清新、具有陈年潜力的纳乌萨红葡萄酒，希腊为葡萄酒鉴赏家提供了许多风味独特、令人兴奋的葡萄酒，这些葡萄酒都在自豪地诉说它们的起源以及酿造它们的杰出人物。这些都是值得人们去探索的葡萄酒。

Santorini is a crescent-shaped island in the Agean whose black-sands and pumice soils, bely the fact it is the caldera of an ancient volcano. Santorini has built an international reputation for its uniquely sharp, mineral-natured white wines made from the Assyrtiko variety.On the other side of Greece, the sundrenched Ionian island of Cephalonia has dazzling, limestone soils and silver-sands.Cephalonia’s renowned white wine is the elegant and charming Robolla. These two fabulous varieties both have long histories of production in these regions and are almost as contrasting as the islands they originate from.

Leading Santorini producers like Gaia,Sigalas and Agyros craft world-class white wines in near-desert conditions.The friable, grey, volcanic-soil holds very little water and vines survive by being widely-spaced, low-yielding and are often ancient, possessing deep rootsystems. Viticulture has been practiced here for over 3000 years and a unique system of viticulture has developed.Instead of trellising the vines, they are woven into spirals on the ground,creating baskets within which the grapes grow, sheltered from the scorching sun and drying winds. The Phylloxera louse cannot live in the sandy soils, so the vines grow un-grafted, on their own roots.Many of vines here are believed to be hundreds of years old, when the basket grows too large the top is simply cut off and growth continues below.

Classic Santorini Assyrtiko, like Gaia’s Thalassitis, is bone-dry, unoaked, has searing acidity and dense, neutralflavored, mineral-natured fruit. Lowyields concentrate flavors, while the short,hot growing-season reduces the grape’s aromatics. Delicate, Riesling-like, limey flavors may develop with bottle-age. These wines’ incredible crispness makes them excellent with food, especially sea-fish and makes them refreshing in a hot climate.Some wines are lightly oaked, this detracts from their strikingly angular nature, but they are still excellent wines. Also made on Santorini is VinSanto - an intense sweetwine, produced in tiny quantities, from sun-dried Assyrtiko' Agyros’ VinSanto is undoubtedly among Greece’s best wines!

In Cephalonia, Robola, produces elegant,fresh, enticing wines, especially when grown at altitude in the Omala Valley.The fractured limestone slopes of Mount Ainos provide the setting for numerous tiny Robola vineyards, rarely larger than a few ares. These vines are not trained to wires, and are often on their own roots. The scrubby bushes standing 1- 2 meters apart, are about 50cms tall,their shoots sprawling across the dry chalky ground, creating a carpet of vine leaves. Interspersed with the vineyards are olive groves and tethered goats are frequently kept among the vines.Viticulture in the heart of Cephalonia has changed little in centuries.

Top producers like Petros Markantonatos and Marianna Cosmetatos from Gentilini apply modern, cool-temperature winemaking to produce enticing, delicate,fresh, mouth-watering wines with delicate lemony crispness and lovely floral, whiteblossom notes. The local co-operative’s wines, in hessian-wrapped bottles, are simpler - but still pleasant.

These are two examples I love, but from the aromatic white Moscophilero wines of Mantinea to the structured,astringent, age-worthy reds of Naoussa- Greece offers oenophiles numerous distinctive, exciting wines that speak proudly of their origins and the wonderful people who craft them. They are well-worth seeking out.