“Family First” on the Winery Scheiblhofer

All of this is based on tremendous internal cohesion and the combined efforts of the Scheiblhofer family – senior manager Maria Scheiblhofer, her sons Erich and Harald with their partners Bettina and Margit, and a solid team of employees beyond the winery itself form the basis of everyday life at the winery. The daughters-in-law contribute their expertise as key players in the business: “Despite its size, we are particularly proud to still be a family business. My wife Bettina studied business administration and manages the business with me. Margit is an oenologist and is responsible for the cellar book and quality and employee assurance at the winery. It quickly became clear to both of them that they could best apply what they had learned and their skills in their own business,” reveals managing director Erich Scheiblhofer during a tour of the business. In 2000, he took over the winery from his father – and some details bear his signature. While Johann Scheiblhofer branded the bottles with the iconic bird, Erich established the ‘The Legends’ series with the new lettering. Then as now, not as a label, but as an elaborately produced screen print directly on the glass. The storage also has a special feature; ‘Big John’s’ wines were stored in American oak, while the younger generation’s wines were stored in French oak. Special editions paying homage to timeless pop culture include Erich’s wines ‘The Dark Lord’, “Mordor” and ‘The Peak of Glory’. The expansion of Scheiblhofer’s activities also reached a remarkable high point recently with the opening of the wellness hotel ‘The Resort’, the restaurant ‘The Quarter’ and the guest house ‘The Hangover’ on the winery’s premises. Sustainable energy sources are a focus throughout the entire operation, with the largest private photovoltaic system in Burgenland installed on the roofs of the company buildings.