Robert Alwin Schlumberger, Edler von Goldeck (12 September 1814 - 13 July 1879) was an entrepreneur and the first producer of sparkling wine (german: link=no, Sekt) in

Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous c ...

Life

Schlumberger was born in Stuttgart in the German Kingdom of Württemberg. Upon the early death of his father, he began a commercial apprenticeship. As director of Ruinart, one of the leading champagne houses in

Reims Reims ( , , ; also spelled Rheims in English) is the most populous city in the French department of Marne, and the 12th most populous city in France. The city lies northeast of Paris on the Vesle river, a tributary of the Aisne. Founded by ...

, France, he was experienced with the '' méthode champenoise''. In 1841, he was on a boat trip when met his future wife Sophie Kirchner from Vienna, the daughter of a wealthy factory owner. He had the idea to produce champagne-like wine (''Schaumwein'') in Austria using the French method but Austrian grapes. In 1842, Schlumberger founded his company renting several vineyards in Vöslau, a small

Lower Austria Lower Austria (german: Niederösterreich; Austro-Bavarian: ''Niedaöstareich'', ''Niedaestareich'') is one of the nine states of Austria, located in the northeastern corner of the country. Since 1986, the capital of Lower Austria has been Sankt P� ...

n town south of Vienna situated in the present-day ''

Thermenregion The Vienna Woods (german: Wienerwald) are forested highlands that form the northeastern foothills of the Northern Limestone Alps in the states of Lower Austria and Vienna. The and range of hills is heavily wooded and a popular recreation area w ...

'' wine-growing area of the eastern Vienna Woods. His alliance which Sophie Kirchner, whom he married in the following year, helped him finance his business venture. Schlumberger presented his first sparkling wine in 1846 under the name ''Vöslauer weißer Schaumwein'' (White sparkling wine of Vöslau), from 1859 under ''Vöslauer Goldeck'', the first protected wine trademark in Austria. It was produced from red

Blauer Portugieser Blauer Portugieser is a red Austrian, Slovenian wine, Croatian wine and German wine grapeJ. Robinson (ed) ''"The Oxford Companion to Wine"'' Third Edition pg 542 Oxford University Press 2006 found primarily in the Rheinhessen, Pfalz and win ...

grapes growing in the Goldeck vineyards in Vöslau, which Schlumberger bought in 1843, and the sparkling wine was an immediate success.Wein-Plus Glossar: Schlumberger
accessed on January 23, 2013 Schlumberger wines were on board of the SMS Novara on its around-the-world mission 1857-1859. The company opened branch stores in Berlin and after the

1862 International Exhibition The International Exhibition of 1862, or Great London Exposition, was a world's fair. It was held from 1 May to 1 November 1862, beside the gardens of the Royal Horticultural Society, South Kensington, London, England, on a site that now houses ...

also in London, where the wine was sold under the brand name "Vöslauer Sparkling". Robert Schlumberger also served as Vöslau mayor from 1864 to 1870. In 1878, one year before his death, he was ennobled by Emperor Franz Joseph I of Austria as " Edler von Goldeck". He died in Vöslau, aged 64. Schlumberger Sparkling Brut 001

Schlumberger Sekt company

Schlumberger's son and heir Otto received the title of a '' K.u.k. Hoflieferant'' in 1895. The company survived the dissolution of the

Austro-Hungarian Monarchy Austria-Hungary, often referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire,, the Dual Monarchy, or Austria, was a constitutional monarchy and great power in Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. It was formed with the Austro-Hungarian Compromise of ...

in 1918 and up to today, Schlumberger Wein- und Sektkellerei GmbH with its seat at Vienna- Döbling is one of the leading producers of sparkling wine in

. In 1973, it was taken over by the German Underberg company. * Grape Varieties:

Cabernet Sauvignon Cabernet Sauvignon () is one of the world's most widely recognized red wine grape varieties. It is grown in nearly every major wine producing country among a diverse spectrum of climates from Australia and British Columbia, Canada to Leban ...

(Red), Merlot (Red),

Cabernet Franc Cabernet Franc is one of the major black grape varieties worldwide. It is principally grown for blending with Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot in the Bordeaux style, but can also be vinified alone, as in the Loire's Chinon. In addition to being use ...

(Red) * Specific Vineyards: Goldeck, Hupfenberg, Oberkirchen

Quotes

Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson Bjørnstjerne Martinius Bjørnson ( , ; 8 December 1832 – 26 April 1910) was a Norwegian writer who received the 1903 Nobel Prize in Literature "as a tribute to his noble, magnificent and versatile poetry, which has always been distinguished ...

(1832–1910) in a letter to his daughter Bergliot from

Schwaz Schwaz () is a city in the Austrian state of Tyrol. It is the administrative center of the Schwaz district. Schwaz is located in the lower Inn valley. Location Schwaz lies in the middle of the Lower Inn Valley at the foot of the Kellerjoch ...

in Tyrol, 29 May 1894: Vöslauer wine is also mentioned by

John Galsworthy John Galsworthy (; 14 August 1867 – 31 January 1933) was an English novelist and playwright. Notable works include ''The Forsyte Saga'' (1906–1921) and its sequels, ''A Modern Comedy'' and ''End of the Chapter''. He won the Nobel Prize i ...

(1867–1933) in his 1926 play ''Escape'' as well as in the 1957 volume of novellas ''Fin de siècle'' by

Paul Morand Paul Morand (13 March 1888 – 24 July 1976) was a French author whose short stories and novellas were lauded for their style, wit and descriptive power. His most productive literary period was the interwar period of the 1920s and 1930s. He was mu ...

(1888–1976).

References

External links

* http://www.schlumberger.at/
Austria Wine Lecture 2003
{{DEFAULTSORT:Schlumberger, Robert 19th-century Austrian people Austrian businesspeople Purveyors to the Imperial and Royal Court Edlers of Austria Austrian people of German descent Businesspeople from Stuttgart 1814 births 1879 deaths