How a Pressburg winery became a 200-year icon. No French soldier required

Ask about the origins of Bratislava’s famed sparkling wine, and you’ll likely hear a romantic legend: a wounded French soldier from Champagne, Johann Evangelista Hubert, stranded in Pressburg – today’s Bratislava – after Napoleon’s failed Russian campaign, falls for his nurse Pauline (Pavlína) and stays to craft fine local bubbly. It’s a story that’s perfect for wine lovers and tourists. It’s also untrue. Ironically, however, the real origins of Bratislava’s sparkling wine are just as captivating.

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“Even back then, winemakers knew that a beautiful story helps sell wine – and this one is truly charming,” said author Štefan Hrivňák, speaking in early November at the launch of his book Zlaté bublinky (Golden Bubbles), which is being published on the 200th anniversary of the founding of the Hubert J.E. company. “People love stories like this. When you tell them, it’s as if the listeners suddenly feel a connection with the drink they’re about to enjoy.”

There are plenty of such legends in the world of winemaking and new ones keep appearing, so mythmaking is nothing unusual. In this case, though, it really is an example of good period marketing, noted Hrivňák. At the same time, every legend, including this one, tends to blur the real view of history. In this case, it hides the skill and entrepreneurship of the real people behind this 200-year-old winery.

The families who built Pressburg. And then vanished

“When I began researching the two Pressburg burghers, Johann Fischer and Michal Schönbauer, who launched the company in 1825, I discovered they were truly fascinating and inspiring people,” Hrivňák explains. “It just proves that our history holds figures we barely know – people who are well worth rediscovering.”

The real story behind the legend
What to read in this story

Who actually founded Bratislava’s sparkling-wine tradition if the French-soldier legend isn’t true?

How did Pressburg become an important centre for sparkling-wine production in the 19th century?

What role did Pavlína Hubertová play in shaping the success of the Hubert J.E. company?

How did major political changes in the 20th century affect the company’s ownership and production methods?

Why has the Hubert name survived into the present day, and what recent discoveries continue to shape its story?