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A weekend of celebrations and tastings

The weekend’s festivities include street performances, a folk parade, a gastronomic village and a half-marathon through the streets and vineyards of Beaune. Beaune’s leading wine houses are vying with one another in their creativity to organise prestigious tastings: wines from the Hospices, rare vintages, appellations from all over Burgundy and themed or gourmet tastings are all on the programme. In Beaune and the Côte Viticole, winegrowers are offering tastings of old and recent vintages in their cellars. Gathered in wine brotherhoods, they organise gala dinners and enthrone new ambassadors of Burgundy wines. The Festivinales programme is coming soon.

Book your oenological experiences during the Wine Sale

The Auction

The highlight of the weekend, the Domaine des Hospices de Beaune Auction, takes place on the afternoon of the 3rd Sunday in November, in the Halles de Beaune. It is now organised by Sotheby’s. The wines up for sale, from an estate built up through donations and legacies over more than 500 years, total more than 60 hectares, the majority of which are classified as Grands Crus and Premiers Crus. This charity wine auction acts as an international barometer for the prestige wine market, bringing together the major Beaune wine merchants and buyers from all over the world. However, because of its charitable vocation, the prices of the wines are generally much higher than usual. Profits from the sale are used to preserve and maintain the hospital’s heritage and structures. Each year, a cuvée is also chosen to be sold for the benefit of one or more charities; this is the Pièce des Présidents, better known as the Pièce de Charité. Find out more about the charity coin below. At the end of the sale, a gala dinner is organised in the medieval setting of theHôtel Dieu bastion.

What does a part of the wine sale correspond to?

“The wines from the Hospices de Beaune estate are all sold by the piece at the Sale. The piece corresponds to a Burgundian tonneau, the equivalent of 228 litres or 300 bottles“.

Prestigious vintages

Wine Sales

The estate’s 60 hectares are divided between Grands Crus, Premiers Crus and other prestigious appellations, and are a great attraction for buyers at the Wine Sale. You will no doubt be familiar with certain appellations, such as Bâtard-Montrachet Grand Cru, Corton Charlemagne Grand Cru, Corton Clos du Roi Grand Cru or certain 1er crus with equally interesting names.

The Charity Room

An international cast

The sponsors of the 2024 Charity Coin

The Chairmen for the 2024 Charity Coin auctions have been revealed! And there are some fine names from 2 continents: Europe and the United States.

Two much-loved French film stars

Honneur aux dames, with Zabou Breitman. This multi-talented woman is sure to raise the stakes with her humour and sparkling wit. From Club Dorothée to the film Se Souvenir des Belles Choses, for which she won a César, Zabou has always been popular with the public. Her talents as a scriptwriter will also count as she finds the right words to defend Médecins sans Frontières – MSF, the charity she will be representing at this 164th Wine Sale. As for the French actor, Jean Reno has captured the affection of French and international audiences since Subway. He has a proven track record of winning favour with the public, and his stature inspires confidence. There’s no doubt that buyers of Domaine des Hospices de Beaune wines will follow him into the auction. There will be a bit of Enzo Maiorca behind the auctioneer’s desk at Sotheby’s on 17 November 2024 in Beaune. Operation seduction for the 2024 Wine Sale The charming Eva Longoria will try to impose her metre 57 against Jean Reno’s metre 88 to energise the Charity Auction. The charity they will be representing, the Global Gift Foundation, will be able to count on her fighting spirit. The American actress has all the attributes needed to break records at the sale of the Pièce des Présidents, a Beaune 1er Cru les Bressandes. Her Texan origins, her birth name (Baston), her sporty driving in Desperate Housewives and her talents as a successful producer are all highly effective motivators for buyers. A breath of British charm will be wafting through the halls of Beaune on Sunday 17 November 2024. Dominic West will be defending the colours of Médecins sans Frontières – MSF alongside Zabou Breitman. French humour and British humour are set to sparkle. The Theron from the Hollywood film “300” will be fighting hard to get the hands of the buyers of this Beaune wine, 1er cru Les Bressandes.

Where does the money from the 2024 Charity Coin go?

Médecins sans Frontières and Global Gift Foundation

Since 1443, the vocation of the Hospices de Beaune has been to provide health care for the most vulnerable. This spirit continues to this day. The money raised from the sale of the Pièce de Charité will fund 2 international charities in 2024.

Médecins sans Frontières – MSF: fighting tropical diseases

Founded in 1971,MSF provides humanitarian aid to populations threatened by conflict, epidemics and natural disasters. The funds raised from the sale of the Charity Coin will finance a specific project: the fight against neglected tropical diseases. These diseases particularly affect vulnerable populations, who will be increasingly affected by global warming and massive urbanisation. 1.7 billion people are affected, and several thousand die every year.

Global Gift Foundation: developing a home for children

This foundation, based in Marbella in Spain, aims to help families, women and children in difficulty. Created by actress Maria Bravo, the humanitarian organisation provides families with Casa Angeles. This day centre takes in children with special needs. It promotes the development, autonomy and well-being (physical and intellectual) of children and young people with special needs. Therapists and expert professionals contribute their skills to improve the living conditions of these children.

2 news items not to be missed

About the Charity Coin

A record in 2022

The coin has reached a record high in 2022: €810,000 will be donated to two associations working for children’s causes.

Its capacity

The piece corresponds to a Burgundian tonneau, the equivalent of 228 litres or 300 bottles.

©Author photographer|Micha Patault - Sotheby's

A look back at 2022 - A record year!

Every year, the Hospices de Beaune supports one or more charities represented by a personality from the world of the arts and entertainment. The Presidents’ Piece is sold in the traditional and picturesque way, i.e. by candlelight, and the profits are donated to the charity. In 2022, Benoît Magimel and Flavie Flament were in charge of the Charity Coin sale. They raised €810,000. Another record broken. And a magnificent record too, since the proceeds of the sale were donated to the 2 charities they represented: “Princesse Margot” and “Vision du monde”. The piece containing this 2022 vintage was designed in honour of Louis-Fabrice Latour, a leading figure in the Burgundy wine trade, who died in 2022. A very special emotion that will leave a lasting impression on the people of Beaune, especially as several Beaune wine merchants who were close to Louis-Fabrice Latour were the buyers. These two celebrities follow in the footsteps of Pio Marmai and Jeanne Balibar in 2021, and Charles Aznavour, Julie Depardieu and Marc Olivier Fogiel a few years ago.

Discover the Hospices de Beaune

Hospices de Beaune Wine Sale

The Three Glorious Years

The wine sale is at the heart of a veritable “Rabelaisian” festival and forms part of an event known as Burgundy’s “Three Glorious Years”. “. It is preceded on the Saturday by the “Chapitre” of the Confrérie des Chevaliers du Tastevin and a dinner at the Château du Clos de Vougeot. On Sunday evening, after the Wine Sale, the famous Wine Sale Gala Dinner is held at the Bastion des Hospices de Beaune. This is followed on Monday lunchtime by the “Paulée” at Château de Meursault. During this traditional meal, each guest brings his or her own bottles, giving the event a rounded, convivial Burgundian feel. The “Three Glorious” stages:

The Chapter at Clos de Vougeot
The gala dinner for the Hospices de Beaune sale
The Paulée de Meursault at Château de Meursault

Burgundy wine estates

open their doors to you

Many wineries are organising special tours and tastings for this Wine Sale weekend. However, you can contact the wineries and wine merchants to order bottles to taste at home, while you wait to come and meet them.

Les Festivinales, a new way to experience the Wine Sale

Since 2022, the Wine Sale Festivities have been known as the Festivinales. Every year, exceptional guests come to stroll through the streets of Beaune and, by the end of the weekend, they’ve almost become real Burgundians.

The Burgundian village

From Friday 15 to Sunday 17 November, the Place Carnot will be welcoming all gourmets to the thirty or so exhibitors at the Village Bourguignon. Eggs en meurette, cheeses and charcuterie, foie gras, snails, beer and, of course, wine will all be on offer.

Things are happening in Burgundy

The weekend of the Wine Sale

During this essential weekend in the Burgundy season, musical groups play in the historic centre of the town. And we’re delighted to welcome back the bottle-opening competition on Place Fleury. A torch-lit procession takes you to the Place Carnot for a musical finale. The funfair on Place Madeleine, a popular meeting place for young and old alike, keeps the hearts of Beaunois beating. And of course, on Sunday from 2.30pm, come and watch the live auction on Place de la Halle.

Find out more about the Festivinales

The Half Marathon

Wine Sales

Sport all weekend long!

The half-marathon takes place on the Saturday of the Wine Sale (15 November for 2025). But it’s from Friday onwards that the trainers take to the streets of Beaune. The youngsters compete on Friday morning, and the less sporty take part in a friendly evening jog in the centre of Beaune. On Saturday, youth races, Nordic walking, canicross and, of course, the half-marathon and the Foulées Beaunoises take to the streets of Beaune and the surrounding countryside.