The Hospices Civils de Beaune is writing a new chapter in its history with the 166th edition of the Hospices de Beaune Wine Auction, one of the most prestigious events in the wine world. Conducted by Sotheby’s, the world leader in wine and spirits auctions, the sale will take place on November 15 in Beaune’s historic market hall.

The press day, held on Thursday, September 3, highlighted the 2026 vintage, marked by an exceptionally early harvest, as well as the 90th anniversary of the Pommard AOC, one of the most renowned appellations of the Côte de Beaune. The event also provided the Hospices Civils de Beaune with an opportunity to present recent projects and investments made possible by the proceeds from the wine auctions.

Pierre Bolze, Mayor of Beaune and Chairman of the Supervisory Board of the Hospices Civils de Beaune, opened the day by emphasising the importance of the Wine Auction for the local area, the hospital and its mission of solidarity. This year’s edition also provides an opportunity to spotlight a specific cause, with support for rare diseases at the heart of this year’s initiative.

Guillaume Koch, Director and Chairman of the Management Board of the Hospices Civils de Beaune

Mr. Koch recalled that the Hospices Civils de Beaune Wine Auction plays a key role by helping finance investments that benefit the hospital, its patients and healthcare professionals.
Beyond the construction of a new building for Beaune Hospital, which began last year and is progressing towards completion in early 2028, we are undertaking major investment projects for the Hospices Civils de Beaune in 2026.

Indeed, 2026 is marked by the launch of several major investments, particularly to modernise our IT infrastructure and improve the quality of patient care.
One of our key priorities is the deployment of a new Electronic Patient Record (EPR). This system will strengthen coordination among healthcare professionals, further enhance the safety and continuity of care pathways, and facilitate access to medical information.
These projects reflect our commitment to ensuring the hospital is equipped to meet the challenges of the future, combining the modernisation of our infrastructure with an ambitious digital transformation.

Rare Diseases and Charitable Organizations
In 2026, the Hospices Civils de Beaune, an institution that has embodied the spirit of solidarity since 1443, is placing rare diseases at the heart of its mission by dedicating its renowned Charity Barrel (known as the Presidents’ Barrel) to research and patient support. True to their historic mission of assisting the most vulnerable, they have selected DEBRA France and ARSLA as the beneficiary organisations of the proceeds from the sale of this Charity Barrel.

• DEBRA France is a French association founded in 1985 that provides assistance and support to people living with epidermolysis bullosa (EB), a rare and incurable genetic blistering skin disorder. Epidermolysis bullosa affects children from a very young age. Their skin is so fragile that it resembles the delicate wings of a butterfly.
• ARSLA works to address the urgent challenges posed by motor neurone disease (MND), including amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), commonly known in France as maladie de Charcot. Faced with rare, rapidly progressing and devastating diseases, its mission is built around three major commitments: supporting research, assisting people living with the disease, and giving patients a voice.

The 2026 Poster
The 166th Hospices de Beaune Wine Auction will be represented by a work that lies at the boundary between figurative and abstract art, created by artist Téo Transinne.
This illustrator, based in Sète, works in coloured pencil to create contemplative, almost abstract landscapes inspired by everyday life, the sky and the sun.
Taking the vineyard as its starting point, this image invites viewers to discover the Côte de Beaune in a sun-drenched setting. The vines appear as red and green bands, illustrating the rhythm of the seasons, alongside the walls of the enclosed vineyards (clos). The Hôtel-Dieu can then be glimpsed in the distance, while the morning sun slowly rises above the rows of vines. It captures a precise moment that those who work in the vineyards know well.

Celian Ravel d'Estienne, Head of Wine Sales, Sotheby’s France

It is both a pleasure and an honour for Sotheby’s to accompany the Hospices de Beaune in organisng the 166th Wine Auction, and also a responsibility that fully commits us to making this auction a success. Throughout the year, we put our expertise, our network and our know-how at the service of this historic charity auction, helping to raise its profile both in France and internationally.
The 2026 edition is looking very promising, with many buyers from a large number of different countries already registered. It is quite remarkable to see just how much the Wine Auction remains a unique event in the wine world and continues to generate such strong enthusiasm year after year.
Among the new initiatives for 2026, and in our ongoing effort to offer our international clients a unique experience, our new New York headquarters at the Breuer building will feature an immersive room enabling our American clients who are unable to travel to Beaune to follow the auction and bid live from New York.
We are also continuing to explore new markets for Hospices wines, with promotional events this year in Warsaw, Poland; Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam; and Philadelphia, United States.
Against the backdrop of a wine auction market that has experienced a significant rebound since the beginning of 2026, this 166th Wine Auction promises to be a very strong edition.

Ludivine Griveau, Estate Manager of the Hospices de Beaune Vineyard

The 2026 vintage, marked by the drought and heatwave that affected a large part of the vineyard, resulted in an exceptionally early and short harvest.
Harvesting began as early as August 15, with Pouilly-Fuissé, followed by Chardonnay in the Beaune area, and concluded on August 24 after just nine days of harvesting, with a relatively small crop.
The grapes are currently undergoing fermentation, already showing considerable promise, as well as the characteristic imprint of the sunlight associated with this vintage. From a technical and oenological standpoint, this vintage is proving particularly demanding, as we seek to preserve the distinctive “Climats” character of each individual parcel. We will therefore have to embrace the vintage as it is, with its powerful tannins, concentrated aromas and high alcohol levels. 2026 is a vintage with a strong identity that will undoubtedly go down in history. Long live 2026!

To mark the 90th anniversary of the AOCs, the Hospices Civils de Beaune has chosen to showcase the Pommard AOC, established on September 11, 1936. Located south of Beaune, the appellation covers 314 hectares, is entirely dedicated to Pinot Noir, and includes no fewer than 28 Premier Cru climats.
The Hospices de Beaune own historic parcels in Pommard, inherited through donations and bequests dating back to the 15th century. Some of these parcels, including several of the most renowned — Les Rugiens and Les Epenots — enable the Hospices de Beaune Estate to produce five flagship cuvées.
The estate owns 3.60 hectares of Pommard Village and 3.60 hectares of Pommard Premier Cru. The vineyard is currently undergoing an intensive renewal program, involving uprooting and replanting, as the parcels are aging and/or affected by decline associated with the 161-49C rootstock.
More generally, yields in our Pommard vineyards have been difficult to bring up to our target levels, which would be approximately 38 to 40 hl/ha. We are currently well below that level, for all the reasons explained above: we need to rebuild our vineyard. The 2026 vintage initially showed good potential in terms of crop volume, but the year’s weather conditions ultimately decided otherwise.
We harvested the Pommard sector between August 22 and 24. I expect that we will achieve an average yield of around 20 hl/ha in 2026, but it is still too early to say with certainty, as we have not yet completed the vatting-off process and therefore do not yet have a clear picture of our juice yields.

SOURCE: hOSPICES DE BEUNE, SOTHEBY'S

Editor: MarinosSkolarikos september 16 2026