Wine lovers take part in the Hospices de Beaune sale, eastern France, December 13, 2020 (AFP/Archives/PHILIPPE DESMAZES)
The Hospices de Beaune wine sale, an annual luxury and charity event, opened on Sunday, under the sponsorship of cult actor Thierry Lhermitte, who came to raise the stakes against the biggest buyers from around the world.
“The 163rd sale is open”, launched Thierry Lhermitte shortly before 3:00 p.m. in the Halles of the “capital” of Burgundy wines, Beaune (Côte d’Or), facing the medieval Hôtel-Dieu with glazed tiles, cradle of Hospices born in 1443.
Immediately, the numbered plates began to rise in the crowd of some 800 buyers from Europe, America and increasingly from Asia, hoping to get their hands on a prestigious Pommard, Corton or other Meursault, sold up to at 35,000 euros per barrel.
“10,000, 14,000, 18,000…”, the dizzying figures scroll through the mouth of the commissioner, recalling the frenetic race for records experienced in recent years by the oldest charitable wine auction in the world, born in 1859.
From 2018 to 2022, the average price of a “piece”, as a barrel is called in Burgundy, has more than doubled, going from 16,849 to 35,980 euros.
However, what is presented is only an early wine, which has just come out of the harvest. To the awarded price, we must therefore add the auction commissions but also the cost of aging in barrels, for one to two years, then bottling.
This is not slowing down ever-increasing demand: in 2022, the sale had garnered nearly 29 million euros, more than double the 2018 record (14 million).
“Burgundy wine, despite the price, is always at the top, it’s the best in the world!”, assures AFP Cikuni Taneyama, a Japanese who is at his 5th auction in Beaune.
“Worldwide, everyone likes Burgundy,” adds David Hu, a Chinese based in Paris who imports for Asia. “Prices have increased a lot. It’s still interesting but we have to think about the price now,” he admits.
A new high seems difficult this year, however, because the 2023 vintage, while generous, provided fewer barrels than in 2022: 753 compared to 817.
“The harvest was very generous but we sorted very drastically because not all the grapes were suitable,” explained Ludivine Griveau, manager of the Hospices wine estate, which covers 60 hectares.
The smaller number of lots could, however, further push the average price of the piece, under the keen enthusiasm of enthusiasts, all the more difficult to curb as it is a good cause.
“We come as much for the wines as for the charity,” assures the Chinese David Hu.
– 2,800 euros per bottle –
The revenue generated is in fact intended for the conservation of heritage such as the medieval Hôtel-Dieu de Beaune, but also for the modernization of the equipment of the four hospitals and six nursing homes that the Hospices have, or a thousand beds.
The institute receives no state aid for these expenses, entirely financed by the vines entrusted as legacies and donations to the establishment since its founding in 1443.
In addition, and like every year, the largest prize is reserved for a cause other than the Hospices.
Wine barrels before the Hospices de Beaune sale on November 20, 2022 (AFP/Archives/JEFF PACHOUD)
For this 163rd edition, it is to “aging well” that the benefit of an exceptional barrel will accrue, both in terms of the content (a Mazis-Chambertin Grand Cru) and the container: the “piece” has been shaped in a 220-year-old oak tree used in the reconstruction of the spire of Notre-Dame de Paris.
The proceeds from this sale will be donated to two associations: the Foundation for Medical Research (FRM) and the Healthy Longevity Research Initiative (IRLB).
The sale of this barrel, called a “charity coin” or “presidents’ coin”, traditionally represents the high point of the auction. Last year, it was sold for 810,000 euros, or more than 2,800 euros per bottle.
To boost this auction, it is hosted by Thierry Lhermitte, the actor from the favorite film “Bronzés”, as well as Michel Cymes, doctor and host of health programs on the small screen. The first is the sponsor of the FRM, the second of the IRLB.
© 2023 AFP
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