despite overmotivated Hollywood stars, no miracle at the Hospices de Beaune sale

In Beaune

In the state in which at the 164th Hospices de Beaune sale, which was held this Sunday. The organizers had dispatched stars of world cinema to convince buyers and traders to bid and get their hands on some of the finest Burgundy wines. Jean Reno, Eva Longoria, Zabou Breitman and Dominic West did not stand out on stage during the auction of the Presidents' coin, the star lot of the most famous wine auction in the world. It was a 228 liter barrel (or 288 75 cl bottles) of Beaune premier cru Les Bressandes. In unison, the four actors helped resolve the situation while the auction was stuck at 250,000 euros: “We will drink wine with you!“. A promise, which we do not know if it will be kept, but which has allowed the price to rise to 360,000 euros. This is, of course, 10,000 more than last year, but far from post-Covid (800,000 euros in 2021 and 810,000 in 2022, a record to beat).

However, the voluble Dominic West, known in particular for having played Charles III in the hit series The Crownindulged in a rather daring proposition: “Come on, I'll take off my shirt!“. Despite this, the Briton remained dressed and the hammer fell under the halls of Beaune. In total, 450,000 euros will be donated to the associations represented this year, Médecins sans Frontières and the Global Gift Foundation, since a buyer added 100,000 in donations.

A clear decline, but no disinterest in Burgundy

The buyer of the lot, the Brazilian Alaor Pereira Lino, is a regular at Beaune auctions. “In Brazil there is a lot of dengue, we already know what that means», he declared following the auction. The proceeds from the sale received by MSF will help finance a project in Honduras to fight against dengue fever, a viral infection which is transmitted from mosquitoes to humans and is on the rise with climate change.

In total, the proceeds from these auctions, which apart from the charity coin are donated to the Hospices Civils de Beaune, capped at 13.944 million euros. A clear decline compared to the 2023 edition (23.3 million euros). This cap was expected, as 438 pieces were put up for auction this year, compared to more than 700 in 2023. This is due to a disappointing year 2024 from the point of view of the quantity of juice returned to the cellar. Very unpredictable weather, illnesses… The work in the vineyard was grueling, according to the Burgundian winegrowers. On the other hand, “the wines are very good», promised Ludivine Griveau, manager of the Hospices de Beaune estate, for which this was the first vintage with organic certification. “This vintage forced us to follow a trajectory that was certainly fluctuating but, in hindsight, fascinating.“, she confided.

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This drop in auctions does not seem to constitute a potential lack of interest in Burgundy wines. Already because the average price per item sold has increased by 2.5% compared to last year. It stands at an average of 31,647 euros. Since 2018, the average price has exploded, up to 90%. And if in the past the sale of the Hospices de Beaune set the tone for an economy of Burgundian wines, this is less the case today. “We are not a barometer, it is an event that comes out of time, a UFO», told us Alain Suguenot, mayor of the city for almost thirty years. “We are still happy», Reacted to AFP the director of Hospices, Guillaume Koch, at the head of four public hospitals and five nursing homes, the only hospital group not counting on state subsidies. “Money from sales is vital“, he added. The winegrower's hospital relocated to the north of Beaune since the 1970s, whose wine estate grew through donations of plots of vines, has lived off these auctions since the 15th century, even if the first edition in its current form dates from 1859.