Schlumberger

Schlumberger – Austria's sparkling wine house since 1842

Anyone who drinks sparkling wine in Austria will sooner or later drink Schlumberger. The Viennese sparkling wine cellar is not only the oldest in the country, but also the founding institution of an entire winemaking culture: Robert Schlumberger, an Alsatian cellar master trained at Ruinart Père et Fils in Reims, the oldest Champagne house in the world, brought the traditional method to Austria in 1842 – thus becoming the first producer of bottle-fermented sparkling wine on Austrian soil .

Success came quickly and was remarkable: Schlumberger became a purveyor to the Imperial and Royal Court, his "Sparkling Vöslauer" was on the wine list of Queen Victoria, and his "Vöslauer Goldeck" is still considered the oldest legally protected wine brand in Austria . Schlumberger was also the first to cultivate Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot in Austria – a pioneering spirit that extended far beyond the world of sparkling wine.

A cellar with history

The heart of the company lies underground: The sparkling wine cellars in Vienna's 19th district (Heiligenstädter Straße 43) are the oldest of their kind in Austria . The 300-year-old cellar was expanded to its current size by Karl Ritter von Ghega – the later builder of the Semmering Railway. It's a sprawling labyrinth that provides constant temperature and tranquility for the maturing bottles.

After four generations of family ownership, Schlumberger was sold to the Underberg Group in 1973. Since 2014, the Marussia Beverages Group has held a majority stake and is explicitly committed to the company's Austrian heritage. Schlumberger is also investing in the future: in 2023, ground was broken for a new production facility in Müllendorf, Burgenland – one of Europe's most modern sparkling wine cellars is being built on twelve hectares.

Craftsmanship and quality standards

What has remained unchanged over the decades and changes of ownership is the foundation of craftsmanship. The base wines come exclusively from Austrian contract winegrowers who work according to Schlumberger standards and are regularly inspected. Every bottle matures on the lees for at least twelve months before being riddled and disgorged. The range is structured according to the legally defined categories "Sekt Austria," "Sekt Austria Reserve," and "Sekt Austria Große Reserve" —reserve and Große Reserve bottlings are aged accordingly longer. The fact that Schlumberger was the first sparkling wine producer in the German-speaking world to be certified according to ISO 9001 as early as 1994 reflects the image of a company that understands quality assurance not as a marketing promise, but as a fundamental business principle.

Style: Austrian, precise, festive

Schlumberger sparkling wines are not copies of Champagne, but possess a distinct character: vibrant, with precise acidity, and the clear fruit profile of Austrian grape varieties. The Classic line – produced according to the traditional method and aged on the lees for at least twelve months – demonstrates this particularly well. For decades, Schlumberger has been the unsung hero of the Vienna Opera Ball : no coincidence, but the result of a sparkling wine that understands and lives up to festive occasions.

Schlumberger at Vinoscout

At Vinoscout we carry the three wines of the classic line :

• Schlumberger Sparkling Sekt Brut – the classic entry into the house, fresh and balanced (15.80 EUR)
• Schlumberger Grüner Veltliner sparkling wine – a single-varietal bottling with the spicy profile of Austria's leading grape variety (15.80 EUR)
• Schlumberger Rosé Brut – berry-like, lively, for all occasions where a little more color is desired (15.90 EUR)

All three wines are produced using the traditional method and represent Schlumberger's artisanal foundation at an everyday price.