Hospices de Beaune Wine Auction (Vente des Vins des Hospices de Beaune) is one of the wine festivals that anchors the Burgundy calendar, drawing both local visitors and international wine travellers each year. It is held at Les Halles in Place de la Halle, in the heart of one of France's most distinctive wine areas. The festival has been running since 1859 and reaches its 166th edition in 2026, giving it one of the longer track records among French wine events of its kind.
World's most famous charity wine auction. ~30,000 visitors to Beaune for the weekend. 2023 edition raised €24M. Sold ~750 barrels of Côte d'Or's greatest wines. Charity wine auctions in France carry an unusual gravity, mixing serious commerce with public ceremony. The bidding draws international buyers, importers and journalists alongside local producers and visitors who attend for the wider weekend programme of tastings, public events and traditional banquets that surround the auction itself. Ticket holders can expect to move between formal sale halls, public tasting tents and the cellars of participating producers across the wider area. The event is organised by Hospices Civils de Beaune (with Sotheby's), which sets the tone and direction of the programme each year.
Burgundy's reputation rests on single-variety Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, parcelled across some of the most fragmented and prestigious climats in the wine world. The Cote d'Or vineyard landscape has been UNESCO-listed since 2015. Burgundy's festival year runs around two long-standing rituals: the Saint-Vincent Tournante in late January, which rotates between villages, and the Trois Glorieuses in mid-November, anchored by the Hospices de Beaune wine auction. Around these, the Paulees, Saint-Vincents and Grands Jours de Bourgogne form a dense calendar that draws professionals and enthusiasts to Beaune, Chablis and the Cote Chalonnaise in equal measure.
The 2026 edition is scheduled for 15 November 2026. Cost details are best confirmed directly with the organiser ahead of travel. Full programme, ticketing and updated information are published on the official site at hospices-de-beaune.com. Visitors are advised to check directly with the organiser for the latest schedule, as French festival programmes are sometimes updated close to the event date.
Burgundy is reached via Dijon (with TGV from Paris in 90 minutes) or Lyon, with Beaune serving as the natural base for any wine festival visit. The Hospices de Beaune building, the Cite Internationale de la Gastronomie et du Vin, and the surrounding Cote d'Or vineyard walks all sit within easy reach. Burgundian gastronomy — boeuf bourguignon, coq au vin, escargots, jambon persille, gougeres — is closely tied to the wines, and the region's food markets in Beaune and Dijon are part of the experience.
