166th Hospices de Beaune auction: wine, charity, innovation

Auction date: Sunday, November 15, 2026

We are now taking bookings to stay at Domaine de Cromey
for the auction · November 12–16, 2026

ONLY 1 ROOM REMAINS AVAILABLE FOR NOVEMBER 12–16, 2026

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Taking Part in a Legendary Burgundy Auction

Each November, in the town of Beaune at the heart of the Burgundy wine region, a venerable tradition unfolds: the Hospices de Beaune wine auction. In 2026, the 166th edition is scheduled for Sunday 15 November under the vaulted roof of the Halles de Beaune. This historic event — the oldest charity wine auction in the world — combines wine, heritage, philanthropy, and festivity in a uniquely Burgundian way. And we’ll be there!

It’s something that here at burgundywine.com we’ve been a part of for many years. Each year we put together consortia of clients and attend the auction to buy great wines by the barrel for our clients. We’ve made many great buys in the past and plan to do so again every year. For us it is a really important celebration in the year and a chance for us and our clients to get in early on some of the greatest wines of Burgundy.

What We Bought at the 2025 Auction

At the 165th Hospices de Beaune auction in 2025, we were delighted to secure three outstanding barrels: Volnay 1er Cru Les Santenots “Cuvée Jehan de Massol”, Beaune 1er Cru “Cuvée Nicolas Rolin”, and Beaune 1er Cru Clos des Avaux.

The Volnay Santenots, from old vines in the celebrated Santenots sector, is a fine yet complete wine, intense in color with enveloping red-fruit and spice aromatics and a palate of finesse and delicacy that promises excellent aging.

The Cuvée Nicolas Rolin, blended from some of Beaune’s greatest premiers crus, offers dark fruit, power, and generosity with well-presented tannins and a mineral lift, making it a classic, cellar-worthy Beaune.

Clos des Avaux, from a small, clay-rich walled cru, brings deep color, vibrant black fruit, and a firm, structured finish, giving a generous, age-worthy expression of Beaune 1er Cru. We are hugely excited about how these wines are evolving in barrel and confident they will be among the finest Hospices wines we have ever offered.

Here Is How You Can Participate

You don’t have to be at the auction in person to be involved! Did you know that here at burgundywine.com we coordinate consortiums, enabling interested individuals to acquire a share in a barrel at the auction?

Here’s how it works:

1. Group formation: We bring together a consortium of usually 5 members (or fewer) with burgundywine.com taking a share.
2. Budget & auction strategy: The consortium sets a target budget to bid at auction on a barrel with promising appellation. This target must cover the hammer price plus all associated costs (Sotheby’s commission, barrel cost, raising/ageing, bottling, labeling, transport, insurance, export).
3. Share allocation: A barrel yields 288 bottles, which is partitioned so that each share-holder receives 48 bottles (i.e. 1/6 share).
4. Pricing: The expected cost per share (for premium appellations) is around US $7,500 (or equivalent EUR) for the 48 bottles, although the actual price depends on the hammer bid.
5. Labeling & personalization: Those who buy a full share may opt for a personalized line on the Hospices label, at a small additional cost, to commemorate their participation.
6. Aging & shipping: After the auction, the wine is aged (often 15–18 months) under the auspices of a winemaker chosen by burgundywine.com.
7. Profit & value expectation: While part of the allure is philanthropic and experiential, some participants view it as an investment: wines often appreciate during aging, sometimes more than doubling in value.

Joining a barrel consortium lets enthusiasts access top-tier Hospices wines with shared cost, personalized labeling, and a chance to be a part of a legendary auction!

Buy a barrel share (2026)

What to Expect at the 2026 Weekend

The Hospices auction is embedded within three days of festivities affectionately known as Les Trois Glorieuses.

During the weekend, Beaune’s streets pulse with music, parades, light projections, local markets, and en plein air tastings. Visitors can also sign up for “Millésimes à la Carte” tastings, exploring historical vintages tied to Hospices wines.

Historical and Charitable Roots

The Hospices de Beaune story begins in 1443, when Chancellor Nicolas Rolin and his wife Guigone de Salins founded the Hôtel Dieu in Beaune as a charitable hospital and refuge for the poor. Over the centuries, local donors endowed the institution with vineyard parcels, so that today the Hospices Civils de Beaune oversee some sixty hectares of vineyards. Beginning in 1859, the Hospices began selling wine by barrel at auction to raise funds; the practice continues to this day.

Proceeds of the auction are devoted to care, maintenance, modernisation and heritage of the hospital institution. In each year’s sale, one special barrel designated the Pièce des Présidents or Pièce de Charité is reserved, with profits donated to external charities.

In 2024, construction began on a new 15,000-square-metre facility in Beaune. Costing around of €86 million, the project will be partially financed through the generosity of buyers at the 165th and 166th Hospices de Beaune wine auctions, helping to support improved care and services for the local community. As an example of the scale of that charity, in 2024, the sale raised over €13 million.

Ludivine Griveau – Chief Winemaker at Hospices de Beaune

Calling Ludivine Griveau simply a winemaker doesn’t quite capture the breadth of her role. In France, she’s known as a régisseur—a title that reflects her dual responsibility for overseeing the entire 60-hectare estate and personally vinifying every wine sold by the Hospices de Beaune each year. She leads a team of 23 vignerons who tend to the estate’s smaller parcels, all employed by the Hospices.

Since stepping into the role in 2015, Ludivine has been a real innovator. Under her leadership, the estate is now using advanced software to monitor tank conditions and optimise operations in the vat room, and as of the 2024 vintage the estate is certified organic. Her commitment to sustainability has helped redefine the style and consistency of the Hospices wines.

Born in 1978 near Beaune, she didn’t come from a winemaking family. Instead, she made her own path, with diplomas in agronomy and oenology from Dijon. Early in her career she visited as far afield as Australia, where she gained diverse experience, before returning to Burgundy. Here she spent a decade crafting wines in the well-respected appellation of Aloxe-Corton.

Her talent was formally recognized in 2014 when she was named Winemaker of the Year. Just a year later, she broke a centuries-old barrier by becoming the first woman in 473 years to hold the title of Chief Winemaker at the Hospices de Beaune—a landmark achievement in a traditionally male-dominated field.

In 2016, she was inducted to the Confrérie des Chevaliers du Tastevin, an esteemed organisation that champions Burgundy’s winemaking heritage worldwide. Further accolades followed in 2019, when she was awarded the Chevalier de l’Ordre National du Mérite, one of France’s highest honors.

Barrel Partner vs Futures – How to Get Involved

For these 2025 Hospices wines and for the 2026 auction, there are now two ways to participate with us:

• As a barrel partner (for the 2026 auction) taking a full or half share in a barrel and securing a substantial, personalised allocation at a very favourable per-bottle price relative to later market releases. This option suits those who want to follow a cuvée closely, build a serious cellar position and, in the case of full shares, even see their name on the label.
• Via futures (“en primeur”), reserving individual bottles or small mixed quantities during élevage at attractive pre-bottling prices, with an incentive to buy early both for access and for pricing. Early buyers can lock in these limited wines now, ahead of bottling, and will also be first in line for preferred allocations in future Hospices vintages.

Buy A Full or Half Barrel Share

More to Explore

Past hospices purchases and tasting notes

Have a look at some of the Hospices wines we have bought in the past on our page above, or shop hospices wines now.

Book Your Stay With Us Today

To really get to know Burgundy, why not come and stay with us at our renovated country house in the heart of the vines? Visit our website at domainedecromey.com and learn about the fantastic trips, activities and gastronomy that we will provide for you. Go to booking enquiry — domaine de cromey to book your trip today, or read about staying with us for a Hospices auction there. We are now taking bookings to stay at Cromey for the auction November 12–16, 2026!