The so-called president's piece, a 228-litre barrel, sold for €810,000. In total, just under €31 million was raised in the charity auction.
The world's most famous charity wine auction broke records on Sunday in eastern France. The auction of Burgundy wines at the hospice in Beaune brought in a total of €31 million. Hospice director François Poher described the results as "historic and spectacular". This year's total more than doubles the previous record proceeds of almost €14 million in 2018 and was a record total for any wine auction held by Sotheby’s, and the highest ever for a charity wine auction
The Hospices de Beaune auction, which takes place on the third Sunday of November, sees top wines auctioned off. The so-called President's Piece, a 228-litre barrel, was sold for €810,000, breaking the record of €800,000 set last year. This year, the proceeds of the President's Piece go to two children's charities.
At the auction, an exceptional number of wines were up for auction thanks to a bountiful harvest. The vines in Burgundy weathered the summer's drought well due to heavy rainfall in June – this led to a 2022 vintage classified as exceptional after a very small harvest in 2021.
