The Hospices de Beaune wine sale, a high mass of luxury and charity, opened on Sunday, under the presidency of four stars, including Eva Longoria and Jean Reno, in the hope of raising the stakes despite the limited number of lots.
“We declare open the 164th edition of the Hospices de Beaune wine sale,” launched the American actresses Eva Longoria and French actress Zabou Breitman, at 2:50 p.m., to some 700 bidders from Europe, America and more and more countries. Asia, gathered in the Halles of the “capital” of Burgundy wines, Beaune (Côte-d'Or) for these oldest auctions charitable wineries in the world.
A hundred other buyers are present online, hoping to get their hands on a prestigious Pommard, Corton or other Meursault.
“We are going to start with a Beaune Premeir Cru cuvée des Dames Hospitalières,” declared auctioneer Aurélie Vandevoorde, immediately triggering a collection of numbered plaques in the Halles de Beaune, opposite the prestigious medieval Hôtel-Dieu which saw the birth of the Hospices in 1443.
Tens of thousands of euros are spent at an impressive speed, but for the benefit of good works.
The sale finances the maintenance and equipment of the four public hospitals and five Hospices nursing homes, which receive no public money for these expenses.
Since their foundation, the Hospices have lived off donations made mainly from vines, as of course in Burgundy. Over the centuries, no less than 60 hectares of vines have been amassed. The wine estate, made up of 85% Premiers and Grands Crus, is one of the most prestigious in the world.
“The money from the sale is vital”, underlines the director of the Hospices, Guillaume Koch, to AFP.
In addition to this main work, the auction reserves a “piece” (a 228 liter barrel or 288 75 cl bottles) for a charity other than the Hospices.
– Asia booming –
This year, this so-called “charity” piece is being sold for the benefit of two associations: the Spanish Global Gift Foundation (GGF), which helps vulnerable children and is represented at the sale by Jean Reno and Eva Longoria, known for starring in “Desperate Housewives”; and Médecins sans frontières (MSF), whose ambassadors are Zabou Breitman and the Briton Dominic West (Charles III in the series “The Crown”). “Let’s hope for a good number today,” he said just before the sale.
The four stars have the delicate mission of pushing for more modest auctions this year due to a reduced number of lots.
Only 445 pieces must go under the hammer, plus three leaflets (half-barrels), the second lowest number of lots in the history of the sale.
The fault lies with capricious weather which cut the harvest “by half compared to the usual”, underlines to AFP Ludivine Griveau, manager of the Hospices wine estate.
“This is the fourth wettest vintage since 1959, with +87% for Burgundy,” she explains.
The sale “will therefore not beat the record” of 2022 (29 million euros in revenue), recognizes Albéric Bichot, boss of the house of the same name and first buyer at the Beaune auction.
But “a relaxation of prices to levels of four or five years ago brings back customers,” he underlines, in an allusion to the recent surge in prices.
The average price per piece sold has more than doubled, from 16,849 euros in 2018 to 35,980 euros in 2022, driven by demand which is not declining.
“Interest in Burgundy remains stronger than ever,” underlines Marie-Anne Ginoux, general director of Sotheby’s France, world leader in wine auctions, which manages those in Beaune.
Particularly in Asia: “Korea is exploding,” rejoices Guillaume Koch. As proof, it is an oenologist of Korean origin, Jeannie Cho Lee, who has just succeeded a Briton as consultant to the Hospices wine estate.
Asian customers represent 42% of the turnover of wine sales organized worldwide by Sotheby's, according to the auction house. The proportion is similar to Beaune.
At the same time, Chinese demand is “increasing further”, underlines Zuwen Zou, a very important buyer in Beaune. “To the detriment of Bordeaux”, according to him.
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