A House shaped by its history
The House of SCHRÖDER & SCHŸLER is rich with a captivating story in which great events of the past are recounted through small anecdotes ... which we love to tell and to share with you.
Here are some excerpts of a history written across the centuries
A FRIGATE IN THE COLOURS OF SCHRÖDER & SCHŸLER
Adapting in times of war by becoming a shipowner
We are in the heart of the Seven Years' War that opposed France and England from 1756 to 1763.
Imagine how dangerous the seas have become, and the trade between France and the West Indies is now very difficult ...
Schröder & Schÿler acquires a frigate called the Eulalie in order to continue supplying spices, indigo and other products.
On August 12, 1779, the ship departed from the river bar in Bayonne, armed with 20 guns on the bridge and a hundred weapons ... no less.
A crew of 105 trusted men also came aboard the Eulalie to ensure its defence during this long and beautiful journey towards Santo Domingo and its much-prized commodities.
On July 14, 1789, at this very moment in Bordeaux ...
Sometimes an old document will transport you back in time.
While exploring the ancient documents and precious archives of the Schröder & Schÿler trading company, We come across a bill of exchange.
It is clearly a debt paid by the trader. As we move on to the next document, the date on the letter catches our attention.
The letter was signed on July 14, 1789, the day of the capture of the Bastille, An unforgettable event in the history of France !
While a Bordeaux trader is continuing his commercial activities like every day of the year, a revolution is breaking out in the heart of Paris and the French people are preparing for the dawn of the Republic.
A historical moment for France seen through a simple commercial document of the company.
Saved from post-revolutionary torment
Condemnation or acquittal ... what will the verdict be ?
During the turbulent period of the French Revolution, traders from foreign powers are considered as potential enemies of the people, because they are suspected of complicity with the royalty ...
Thus the four leaders of Schröder & Schÿler, all from Hamburg, find themselves imprisoned.
The judgment is held on February 16, 1794.
The entire company trembles at the idea that its leaders could end up on the scaffold putting their destiny and that of the company in peril.
But Lacombe, President of the Military Commission of Bordeaux, hears out the accused and fortunately orders that they be released. The history of Schröder and Schÿler continues!
Return from the Indies
A marketing concept direct from the 1870s
We are in the 1870s.
Taking the sea road to the East Indies via the Cape of Good Hope, we sail accompanied by a full load of wine in barrels from the newly classified grands crus.
Arriving at our destination, some of the barrels, curiously, are never unloaded. Were they forgotten ? Perhaps the customer did not pay ?
No matter, the ship takes them back to Bordeaux by the same route, arriving after a long journey of nine months.
When the wines are tasted, it turns out that having passed the Equator four times has accelerated the ageing of the wine, and it has vastly improved !
Thus was born an original brand called "Return from the Indies" Schröder & Schÿler wines that had travelled through the tropics and magically aged !
HENRI SCHÿLER (4TH GENERATION) CONQUERING THE WEST
An adventure during the time of American Prohibition.
June 2, 1883 Liverpool, England. Henry Schÿler boards the Alaska on a daring journey to conquer new markets.
He arrives in New York under heavy fog on June 10, where his exploration begins. For weeks, the merchant travels the East Coast of the United States, visiting his customers and prospects.
The country is at the moment in the thick of Prohibition.
Imagine the difficulties encountered by our explorer but also the tremendous opportunities presented to him during his adventure.
He continues his journey on to Canada, discovering with astonishment the wonder of Niagara Falls, on August 9th. After a long journey of six months, Henry Schÿler returns to England on December 31, 1883.
THE GOLDEN AGE OF THE NÉGOCIANT WINE MERCHANTS, ENDORSED BY THE CRUS CLASSÉS
SCHRÖDER AND SCHŸLER LEAVES ITS MARK ON THE GRANDS CRUS
Here we are at the beginning of the 20th century, a period that marks the peak of the practice of the bottling of great wines by wine merchants.
Schröder and Schÿler are supplied by the owners of the Grands Crus through subscription contracts, thus enabling them to ensure the quality of the consignments and the regularity of purchases in barrels.
It is the merchant’s responsibility to age the wine in barrels and then to bottle it. This brings an additional signature to the vintage, a mark of the merchant’s style.
The merchant who ages and distributes these Grands Crus thereforeis as important for the customers as the Château itself.