Santorini (also known as Thira) is one of the southernmost of the Kyklades islands and among the most famous in Greece. It is a unique environment for viticulture viticulture n.葡萄栽培， perhaps the most unique wine region in the world. A volcanic volcanic adj.火山的， 像火山的， 猛烈的， 易突然发作的， 爆发的 n.火山岩 island， Santorini suffered a catastrophic catastrophic adj.悲惨的， 灾难的 eruption around 1500 B.C.， leaving a huge， submerged submerged adj.在水中的， 淹没的 caldera caldera n.［地质］喷火山口 where the center of the Island had been. Its resulting geological features are not only singular in Greece - chalk and shale beneath ash， lava and pumice - but also contribute to the kind of stress that compels vines to produce extraordinary extraordinary adj.非常的， 特别的， 非凡的， 特派的 fruit. Grapes grow on the eastern slopes of the caldera，s edge， which begin from their sharp western edge at around 1，000 feet， ending at sea level at the island，s famous black beaches. There is no question of overfarming in this environment： vine spacing is by necessity necessity n.必要性， 需要，必需品 double traditional distances. Further stress results from a dearth of water on the Island. With the exception of the winter there is little rain on Santorini during the year. There is none at all during the growing season. Desalinated sea water provides for the inhabitants of the island and its many tourists. Vines， however， drink from moisture necessity n.必要性， 需要，必需品 absorbed by the ground at night， a fortunate quirk of geology geology n.地质学，地质概况 and climate that provides the perfect bareminimum the vines need to survive and grow fruit. Steady westerly winds preclude condensation condensation n.浓缩 on the grapes themselves， resulting in the parallel development of high sugar and acid levels. The wind being so relentless as to threaten the survival survival n.生存， 幸存， 残存， 幸存者， 残存物 of youthful vines， an ancient， though hardly simple， solution is now a famous tradition on the island： many vines are trained to grow in a stefani (crown)， a round basket the middle of which provides a haven for hanging clusters of grapes.
Were it not for suitable cultivars， laborious laborious adj.(指工作)艰苦的， 费力的， (指人)勤劳的 vine training would be for nought. Santorini is therefore fortunate to be home to an extraordinary white cultivar that makes winemaking not only possible， but highly successful for Santoriniote vintners vintner n.葡萄酒商. Asyrtiko (70% of vineyard area) is often described as Greece，s best white wine grape. It is unique among lowlatititude Mediterranean cultivars in ripening to high sugar - and therefore alcohollevels with a high level of acidity intact. To round out its somewhat sparse fruit and and to compensate for a certain lack of aroma aroma n.芳香， 香气， 香味， it is traditionally blended with the flowery Aidani Aspro and more replete Athiri. These are by no means the only white grapes found on Santorini： LambertGoc was aware of the existence of at least forty (total) cultivars on the island. Transplanted enologist enologist 葡萄酒酿制术研究者［专家］ Garifalos Allagiannis speaks of 23 known white varieties.
Santorini has two applellations appellation n.名称， 称呼： one for dry whites and one for sweet whites. The appellation for dry wines calls for Asyrtiko， Athiri and Adani Aspro. The sweet appelletion requires Asyrtiko and Adani only.
Although the island is neither known for its red wine nor possesses possess vt.占有， 拥有， 持有， 摆布， 支配 an appellation for them， the red cultivars Mandilariá (20% of vineyard area) and Mavrotrágano are playing an increasingly important role in premium premium n.额外费用， 奖金， 奖赏， 保险费， (货币兑现的)贴水 wine production.
Santorini is home to several original wine genres. Certain of these have proved particularly solid foundations for the development of successful modern winemaking.
Brousko is a style (and a name) dating back to the Venetian occupation of the island (13th~16th centuries). Brouska were traditionally dry red， white or rosé comprised of appropriate appropriate adj.适当的，合适的 combinations of the local cultivar pallette pallette 调色板， held for a period of days in the pressing bins， then pressed by foot， fermented on skins and stems and barrelaged. Although the raw style of traditional Brousko has largely been abandoned in favor of freerun must and international methods of vinification vinification n.葡萄酒酿造法， it is still to be found on the island.
Nykteri is another local wine， one that is represented in commercial as well as local bottled products. Nykteri takes it name from the Greek word meaning “night work”， denoting a procedure in which the processing of the grapes from the vineyard vineyard n.葡萄园 to the fermenter occurs entirely in one day， culminating late at night. Although the origin of the practice on Santorini is unclear， the harvesting of grapes near or before dawn is not exclusive exclusive adj.排外的， 孤高的， 唯我独尊的， 独占的， 唯一的， 高级的 to Santorini or Greece and is known， generally， to result in superior must. Asyrtiko， with a lesser complement of Athiri and Aídani Aspro， is the traditional varietal basis for the style. It is also this composition that has now generally become the foundation for the new breed breed v.(使)繁殖， 教养， 抚养 n.品种， 种类 of fine wines produced on the island. Both Roussos and Santo (the local cooperative) produce Nykteri although long barrel aging， once considered compulsory， has been largely relegated to the past. Santo now makes the distinction between its Nykteri and Vareli Nykteri， consistent with a recent trend on the island to capitalize on the same distinction between oaked an unoaked wine that is currently throughout the rest of the world. Antoniou produces a Nykteri， strangely rustic compared to the rest of his portfolio. After 10 months in new oak， the curious curious adj.好奇的， 求知的， 古怪的， 爱挑剔的 chemical phenomenon that turns Asyrtiko a darkish yellow is plainly evident. LambertGocs reported that a local he encountered insisted that Nykteri “shouldn，t have colour”. Because all the local Nyketeri we tried had a similar tint， it is logical to assume that the change in hue between past and present is explained by the probability that in the past only old oak， some wood other than oak， or perhaps no oak at all was typically used.