Hospices de Beaune Wine Auction

The Vente des Vins des Hospices de Beaune is a wine auction held each November in Beaune, in Burgundy, and the weekend of festivities around it. The Hospices Civils de Beaune, the town’s historic hospital, own a wine estate, the Domaine des Hospices de Beaune, and sell its new wines at auction once a year. The sale raises significant funds each year, the estate says. For visitors, the auction is the centre of a weekend of tastings and events in town.

The 2026 edition: two dates to tell apart

The auction is a single session on the Sunday, starting at 2:30 pm, under the Halles de Beaune. The date comes from the estate. The festivities and tastings run all weekend, from Friday 13 to Sunday 15 November, according to Beaune’s tourist office. This page follows the weekend, since that is what a visitor comes for. The 2027 dates had not been published when this page was checked, on 6 October 2026.

What is sold, and what to taste

• 51 wines. The estate offers 51 wines from Burgundy appellations at the sale. They are sold young, by the barrel (the pièce), and are raised and bottled after the sale, often by a Burgundy merchant on the buyer’s behalf.
• Burgundy’s two main grapes. Pinot Noir for the reds and Chardonnay for the whites: the weekend is a chance to taste both from many villages of the Côte d’Or in one town.
• Tastings in town. The tourist office has a page on the tastings held during the sale weekend, with what is offered and how to book: read it before you go.
• How to buy. If you want to bid, the estate explains on its site how to buy at the sale.

Practical tips for the Hospices de Beaune Wine Auction

• Know which day you want. For the atmosphere of the auction, plan on the Sunday afternoon. For tastings, the whole weekend works.
• Entry and prices. Neither the estate nor the tourist office publishes a single entry price for the weekend in the sources read for this page: check each tasting or event on the tourist office’s site.
• Visit the Hôtel-Dieu. The 15th-century hospital of the Hospices, with its roof of glazed coloured tiles, is the landmark of Beaune and is open as a museum.
• Getting there. Beaune station is on the railway between Dijon and Lyon. High-speed TGV trains link Paris with Dijon. The old centre is small and walkable.

Where to stay and budget

Book a room well ahead, or stay in Dijon and come by train. The budget depends on the tastings you book. Add the cost of the night, which is the larger expense on this weekend.

Combine with

The other big date of the Burgundy wine year in this guide is the Saint-Vincent Tournante, held in Volnay, a few kilometres from Beaune, on 30 and 31 January 2027. Earlier in November, the Merano WineFestival in South Tyrol runs from 6 to 10 November 2026, and, the following week, Les Sarmentelles in Beaujeu, in the Beaujolais, from 18 to 22 November 2026.