The famous wine auction in the town of Beaune is an annual highlight in Burgundy’s calendar.
The Hospices de Beaune, a French charitable foundation dating back to 1483, has confirmed that its annual charity auction will go ahead on the usual date of the third Sunday in November. It will be the 161st in its history and take place on 21 November 2021 in Beaune, the wine capital of Burgundy.
The foundation runs its own wine estate which over the centuries has been endowed with numerous vineyards across the Côte d’Or, whose wines are sold at a public auction in the centre of Beaune each year. Last year’s sale had to be moved to December and was a much smaller affair than the usual event which draws visitors from across the globe.
The Hospices de Beaune auction is the oldest charity wine auction in the world. Merchants and wine lovers bid for whole barrels of wine. Among them the so-called Pièce du President, whose sale proceeds are dedicated to a different charity each year. François Poher, director and chairman of the board of Hospices Civils de Beaune, said: “While the profits from the entire sale support the charitable work of the Hospices, there is one barrel each year where the proceeds are donated to another charity. The Pièce du President or Charity Piece barrel from the 161st Hospices de Beaune wine auction will be donated to two associations that work in favour of women.”
The sale will be run by Sotheby’s. You can read our interview with Ludivine Griveau, winemaker at Hospices de Beaune, here.
