Vienna: Schlumberger Cellar Tour & Sparkling Wine Tasting

4.68

(145 reviews)

What’s the experience like?

I actually got lost on my way to the Schlumberger Cellars — classic me, following the wrong tram line in Vienna. When I finally found the entrance (it’s tucked away on a quiet street, not flashy at all), the woman at the bar just smiled and handed me a ticket like this happens every day. The place already smelled faintly of yeast and something cold, almost mineral — you know that underground chill? My German is tragic, so I picked up an English audioguide and joined a small group for the cellar tour.

Our guide, Stefan, was one of those people who can make even bottle racks sound interesting. He showed us how they “riddle” the bottles by hand — twisting them just so on these old wooden racks. I tried it myself and nearly dropped one (Stefan laughed, said it happens). There’s this echo in the tunnels when someone speaks; it makes you feel like you’re somewhere much older than 1842. At one point, he let us smell the lees left in an open bottle — kind of nutty and sharp, not what I expected from sparkling wine at all.

The best part for me was honestly just standing there with a glass of their classic brut, feeling that first tickle of bubbles after all that talk about how they get there. It tasted brighter than I thought — maybe because we were right where it was made? People around me were chatting in German and French; one older couple clinked glasses quietly in the corner. The light down there is yellowish and soft, so everyone looks a bit dreamy. I still think about that first sip sometimes when I hear a cork pop back home.