Wine Tourism22 May 20269 min read

Hospices de Beaune: the most famous wine auction in the world

Simon Stoll

Oenosuite Founder

Polychrome glazed tile roof of the Hôtel-Dieu of the Hospices de Beaune, Côte-d'Or, Burgundy

The Hospices de Beaune Wine Auction is the oldest charity wine auction in the world, held every third Sunday of November under the Halles de Beaune in Côte-d'Or. Born from a medieval hospice founded in 1443 by Nicolas Rolin, Chancellor of the Duke of Burgundy, in 165 editions it has become the global benchmark for the Burgundy vintage. In 2025, the auction totalled €18.38 million under the hammer, the third-best result in its history, with a Presidents' Barrel sold for €400,000. A short guide to an institution that has mixed wine, charity and heritage for nearly six centuries.

1443: a hospice born from the end of the Hundred Years' War

It all started at the end of the Hundred Years' War (1337-1453), when Beaune emerged drained by the conflict: contemporary chronicles indicate that nearly three-quarters of the town's inhabitants lived in destitution. Nicolas Rolin, Chancellor of Duke Philip the Good of Burgundy, obtained in 1441 the authorisation from Pope Eugene IV to found in Beaune a "hôtel-Dieu" intended to host the poor and the sick free of charge. With his last wife Guigone de Salins, he laid the first stone in 1443 and the building was consecrated on 31 December 1452.

The building, whose design is attributed to the Flemish architect Jacques Wiscrère, became one of the masterpieces of 15th-century Burgundian Gothic architecture. Its polychrome glazed tile roof - a geometric mosaic of green, yellow, ochre and brown tiles - is now the most iconic image of Beaune and of Burgundy wine tourism. For five centuries, the Hôtel-Dieu hosted patients cared for by hospital sisters, well into the second half of the 20th century. It is now a museum, while hospital activity has been transferred to modern facilities of the Hospices Civils de Beaune.

A 60-hectare wine estate, 85% Premier or Grand Cru

The Hospices de Beaune Wine Estate is one of the most prestigious in Burgundy, but it was not bought: it was built up over the centuries through donations from benefactors - noble families, merchants, growers - who bequeathed parcels to the hospice in gratitude for care received or out of devotion. The result is a 60-hectare estate spread over more than 120 parcels across the Côte-d'Or, comprising roughly 50 hectares of Pinot Noir and 10 hectares of Chardonnay.

Even more striking: 85% of this estate is classified as Premier or Grand Cru, making it one of the highest-quality portfolios in the entire region. It includes Grands Crus such as Échezeaux, Mazis-Chambertin, Clos de la Roche, Corton, Bâtard-Montrachet and, thanks to a recent donation from Maison Faiveley, a new parcel in Clos de Vougeot. Each year, the estate produces around fifty cuvées - mostly Pinot Noir reds and around twenty Chardonnay whites - named after the benefactors who bequeathed the parcels: Cuvée Nicolas Rolin, Cuvée Guigone de Salins, Cuvée Dames Hospitalières…

Since 2015, the estate has been managed by Ludivine Griveau, the first woman ever to hold the position of estate manager and cellar master at the Hospices de Beaune. She farms most of the vineyards organically and works to reveal the identity of each parcel before the auction.

1859: the birth of the world's oldest charity wine auction

The very first wine auction held by the hospice took place as early as 1795, but for decades it alternated with private sales. It was not until 1859 that the public annual auction became the rule, with all proceeds funding the hospital's charitable work. It is this uninterrupted continuity for more than 165 years that earns the Hospices de Beaune Wine Auction its title of oldest charity wine auction in the world, officially recognised by the World Record Academy.

Part of the medieval tradition is preserved: the Pièce de Charité is still sold by candlelight, the last bidder before the flame goes out winning the barrel. The rest of the auction, organised by major auction houses (Christie's from 2005 to 2020, then Sotheby's since 2021), now runs simultaneously with online bidding from buyers worldwide.

The Presidents' Barrel: the charity highlight of the auction

Each edition is marked by an exceptional barrel, the Pièce des Présidents (formerly known as the Pièce de Charité), a 228-litre barrel of a great wine selected by the Hospices, whose entire proceeds go to charities chosen by celebrity "godparents". This barrel is traditionally a Premier or Grand Cru and triggers worldwide bidding competition, often pushing prices to record levels.

In 2025, the Presidents' Barrel was a Pommard 1er Cru Les Rugiens, one of the most emblematic Premiers Crus of the appellation, aged in a barrel donated by Manufacture Tonnelière La Grange. It sold for €400,000, a record for a Presidents' Barrel made from a Premier Cru, to Li Zhongliang, a Beijing entrepreneur active in teak and artificial intelligence. The proceeds went to the local Beaune association EHCO (Enfance et Handicap en Côte-d'Or) and to the Institut Robert-Debré du cerveau de l'enfant. The godparents of the edition were DJ Martin Solveig, actors Alice Taglioni and Vincent Lacoste, and director Cédric Klapisch.

Les Trois Glorieuses: the great Burgundy weekend

The auction is only one act among three. On the third weekend of November, Burgundy celebrates Les Trois Glorieuses, a wine triptych considered by many as the finest gathering in the wine world. The programme is unchanging: Saturday evening, gala dinner at the Château du Clos de Vougeot, hosted by the Confrérie des Chevaliers du Tastevin, in formal evening dress. Sunday afternoon, the Hospices auction under the Halles de Beaune, followed by a candlelit dinner. Monday lunch, the legendary Paulée de Meursault, a several-hundred-guest meal in the cellars of Château de Meursault, where everyone brings their finest bottles to share - probably the classiest BYOB party in the world.

2025 edition: €18.38M, the third-best in history

The 165th edition, held on Sunday 16 November 2025, gathered nearly 700 bidders under the Halles. Total under the hammer reached €18.38 million (€18.75M including fees), the third-best auction in Hospices de Beaune history. The average price per barrel climbed to €33,930, up 4.6% compared to 2024 (€13.9M total), which is remarkable in a tense global fine-wine market.

As for the past thirty years, the négociant Albert Bichot ranked as the top buyer of the auction. A notable peculiarity: every buyer, private or professional, has the legal obligation to entrust the élevage (aging) of the purchased barrel to an approved négociant for twelve to eighteen months before bottling. This is one of the specificities that distinguishes the Hospices de Beaune from a standard auction.

Visiting Beaune and experiencing the auction: practical tips

The Hôtel-Dieu of the Hospices de Beaune can be visited year-round (paid museum, around €12 full price, free access to the inner courtyard). Rogier van der Weyden's Last Judgement altarpiece, kept inside the museum, alone justifies the trip. To attend the auction, plan well ahead: seats inside the Halles are scarce and nearly every hotel in Beaune is booked months in advance for the third November weekend. An alternative is to stay in Dijon (45 minutes via the A6) or in the villages of the Côte de Beaune, and travel in by train or car for Sunday.

To discover the Hospices wines all year long, several partner houses such as Albert Bichot or the Cuverie des Hospices offer tastings of the cuvées during ageing. And to turn this wine pilgrimage into a full wine tourism stay, oenosuite.fr offers in Dijon accommodations designed for wine lovers - connected cellar, guided tastings, easy access to the Côte de Beaune estates - just 20 minutes from Beaune and the Hôtel-Dieu. The ideal base to combine domaine visits, tasting Hospices cuvées and experiencing Les Trois Glorieuses.