The Hospices de Beaune wine auction is the yearly sale of wines from the Domaine des Hospices de Beaune, held on the third Sunday of November under the Halles in Beaune. The 166th sale starts at 2:30 p.m. on Sunday, November 15, 2026, and the festivities around it run from Friday, November 13, to Sunday, November 15.
The sale funds the Hospices Civils de Beaune, the hospital institution that owns the Hôtel-Dieu. Sale profits are paying for a new Hôpital de Beaune building due for completion in early 2028.
This page covers the weekend program, the trains from Paris, the cellar tastings open to the public, a visit to the Hôtel-Dieu, and what each costs. For the wider region, see Burgundy.
The auction and the weekend program
The auction itself is reserved for professionals. Beaune's major négociants and buyers from around the world bid, and Sotheby's organizes the sale. The public follows it live on the place de la Halle from 2:30 p.m. on Sunday.
The wines are sold by the pièce, equal to 228 liters or 300 bottles. They come from the Domaine des Hospices de Beaune, 60 hectares of vines worked by 23 employees and spread from Chablis to Pouilly-Fuissé, mainly in the Côte de Beaune and Côte de Nuits. The estate makes 35 red cuvées from pinot noir and 18 white cuvées from chardonnay, almost all from Premier Cru or Grand Cru vineyards.
The Domaine sells its wines to fund the hospital. Auctions became the norm in 1859, promoted by the bursar Joseph Petasse.
Each year one pièce, the Pièce de Charité or Pièce des Présidents, is auctioned for one or more charities chosen in September. It is usually a Grand Cru. In 2025 it was a Pommard 1er Cru Les Rugiens, sold for €400,000 ($432,000) for EHCO and the Institut Robert-Debré du Cerveau de l'Enfant. The record, set in 2022, is €810,000 ($874,800).
Street festivities
Musical and folk groups play in the town center streets all weekend. After dark, light projections play on the facades of seven Beaune landmarks.
Other events on the 2026 program:
- a Village Bourguignon on place Carnot, Friday to Sunday
- a funfair on place Madeleine
- a bottle-uncorking contest on place Fleury
- a torchlit parade to place Carnot
- the Banquet des Ducs de Bourgogne at the Cuverie de l'Hôtel des Ducs de Bourgogne, 24 rue Paradis, on November 14 and 15 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., with free entry and a free heraldry workshop for ages 6 and up
The half-marathon
The Wine Sale Half-Marathon starts at 2 p.m. on Saturday from avenue de la République. The 21.1 km course runs through the vineyards of Pommard, Volnay, Meursault and Monthélie and finishes at the Forum des sports.
The 10.4 km Foulées Beaunoises start from the same avenue at 1:40 p.m. The 4 km Footing Nocturne starts on place de la Halle at 6 p.m. on Friday. Registration opened on June 1 at semibeaune.fr.
Dinners and the Fête des Grands Vins
The Chapitre at the Clos de Vougeot is on Saturday, the gala dinner in the bastion of the Hôtel-Dieu on Sunday, and the Paulée at the Château de Meursault on Monday.
The 153rd Fête des Grands Vins de Bourgogne is held at the Palais des Congrès, 19 avenue Charles de Gaulle. It opens from 2 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Friday, November 13, and from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Saturday, November 14, with last entry at 6 p.m. Run by the Confédération des Appellations et des Vignerons de Bourgogne (CAVB), it brings together 84 appellations and about 3,000 wines, with day passes and a two-day pass.
Getting there
The fastest train from Paris takes 2 hours 15 minutes, with a change at Dijon. The direct TGV from Paris Gare de Lyon reaches Dijon in 95 minutes, and the TER covers the last stretch to Beaune station in 20 minutes.
| Option | From | Route | Time | Changes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Train | Paris Gare de Lyon | TGV to Dijon, then TER to Beaune | 2h15 | 1 |
| Train, first leg | Paris Gare de Lyon | Direct TGV to Dijon | 1h35 | 0 |
| Train, second leg | Dijon | TER to Beaune, €13 ($14) | 20 min | 0 |
| Car | Paris | A6, exit 24.1 Beaune-Centre, Chagny, Beaune Hospices | — | — |
By car, take the A6 from Paris and leave at exit 24.1, signed Beaune-Centre, Chagny and Beaune Hospices. The Tanneries, Chanceliers and Saint-Étienne parking lots serve the Hôtel-Dieu.
During the sale weekend, a free shuttle runs from 10 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. from the Cité des Vins, past the station, the ramparts and the Palais des Congrès.
For timetables and fares, see Paris to Beaune by train, Dijon to Beaune and Burgundy without a car.
When to go
The sale weekend falls on the third Sunday of November and the two days before it: in 2026, Friday, November 13, to Sunday, November 15. The tourist offices open all three days, Porte Marie de Bourgogne on boulevard Perpreuil from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and the office opposite the Hôtel-Dieu from 9 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.
The Hôtel-Dieu opens every day of the year. Through November 15, 2026, it opens from 9 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. without a break. From November 16 to March 31 it opens from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and 2 p.m. to 6:30 p.m., and on December 25 and January 1 from 2 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. only. The ticket office closes one hour before each closing.
The Beaune tourist office says fewer wineries are open from November to March, and some estates are less available during the September and October harvest.
Visiting the Hôtel-Dieu
The Hôtel-Dieu, at 2 rue de l'Hôtel-Dieu, was founded in 1443 by Nicolas Rolin, Chancellor of Burgundy, and his wife, Guigone de Salins, to care for the poor. They modeled it on Flemish hospitals.
The visit takes in the glazed tile roof, the Salle des Pôvres, still a treatment room during the 1939–1945 war, and the 15th-century Last Judgment polyptych by Rogier van der Weyden, in fifteen panels. It also covers the apothecary, with its earthenware pots, and the sisters' kitchen with its fireplace and spit.
The self-guided visit, On the Footsteps of the Founders, takes about 1 hour, with an audioguide in 10 languages for adults and 4 for children. The Discovery ticket adds Top Chrono!, a 20-minute talk on one part of the site, daily at 10 a.m. and 5 p.m.
The Insolite behind-the-scenes tour runs on Mondays, Fridays and Saturdays at 2:15 p.m., in French only, for 18 people at most. In 1 hour it covers the upper gallery, the King's Chamber, the Little Museum, the old vat house and its cellars, and the medieval bastion that hosts the sale's gala dinner.
The site is accessible to people with reduced mobility and to strollers. The courtyard has old cobblestones.
Visiting the estates
During the sale weekend, houses and estates in Beaune and nearby villages open their cellars for special tastings. Tickets go on sale in early September through the tourist office's booking pages, and some carry early-booking rates.
Château de Meursault, on rue Charles Giraud in Meursault, pours 7 Côte de Beaune wines, 4 of them Premiers Crus, from November 13 to 15. Sessions in English start at 10:30 a.m., 11:30 a.m., 2:30 p.m. and 3:30 p.m., for up to 15 people. Booking is required, online or on 03 80 26 22 75.
Caves Patriarche Père & Fils, at 5 rue du Collège in Beaune, runs a tasting of 10 wines, 4 white and 6 red, from vintages 1983 to 2023, on November 14 and 15 from 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. It lasts about 1 hour 30 minutes, the wines are served in a complimentary engraved glass, and stands serve gougères and water. Each online slot takes 8 people.
Marché aux Vins, at 5 rue Nicolas Rolin opposite the Hospices, opens its cellars for a self-guided visit and a tasting of 10 wines, including 4 Premiers Crus and 4 Grands Crus. It runs from November 13 to 15, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., with the last departure at 5:30 p.m.
La Cave d'Elisée, at 38 boulevard Maréchal Foch, pours up to 60 wines on November 14 and 15, from regional appellations to Grands Crus. On Saturday, places are limited and booking by phone on 06 80 16 17 05 is compulsory.
Veuve Ambal in Montagny-lès-Beaune runs an audio-guided visit of its production site and aging cellars, about 1 hour 30 minutes, ending with 3 Crémants de Bourgogne and 3 still wines, including a Cuvée des Hospices de Beaune. Departures on November 14 and 15 take 20 people.
Domaine Besancenot, at 78 rue du Faubourg Saint-Nicolas, runs a 45-minute tasting of 6 wines with departures on the hour from November 13 to 15. The Caveau Nuiton-Beaunoy, at 97 route de Pommard, lights up its cellar for four new-vintage wines from cask and a prestige selection of four wines on November 14 and 15.
At Château de Meursault and Marché aux Vins, accompanied under-18s enter free but don't taste. La Cave d'Elisée serves an artisanal non-alcoholic grape juice to under-18s and anyone not drinking alcohol. If you are driving, spit as you go or choose a designated driver.
For how domaine visits work the rest of the year, see Booking Burgundy domaine visits.
What it costs
Wine sale tastings in 2026 range from €18 to €185 ($19–200). Entry to the Banquet des Ducs is free.
- Veuve Ambal: €18 ($19) for adults, €6 ($6) for ages 12 to 18 with non-alcoholic drinks, free under 12
- Caveau Nuiton-Beaunoy Dégustation Privilège: €30 ($32)
- La Cave d'Elisée: €49 ($53)
- Château de Meursault: €59 ($64), or €55 ($59) if booked by October 31
- Caves Patriarche: €70 ($76) until October 31, then €80 ($86) from November 1
- Marché aux Vins Exclusive: €95 ($103) until November 12, then €105 ($113) from November 13
Hôtel-Dieu admission costs €12.50 ($14) for adults, €9.50 ($10) at the reduced rate and €6.25 ($7) for ages 6 to 17, and children under 6 enter free. The Discovery ticket costs €14.50 ($16), Exploration €19 ($21) and the Insolite tour €26 ($28). A Solo annual pass costs €45 ($49).
Before you go
- Some gala dinners are for professionals only. Others are open to the public on reservation.
- Wine sale tastings sell by time slot with limited places, and tickets are valid only for the day and time you choose.
- Hôtel-Dieu tickets can't be exchanged or refunded except for force majeure, there is no luggage storage, and only assistance dogs are admitted.
Frequently asked questions
Can I attend the Hospices de Beaune wine auction?
The auction under the Halles de Beaune is reserved for professionals: Beaune's négociants and buyers from around the world. The public follows it live on the place de la Halle from 2:30 p.m. on Sunday, November 15, 2026, and joins the street festivities and cellar tastings around it.
When is the 2026 Hospices de Beaune wine sale?
The 166th sale is on Sunday, November 15, 2026, at 2:30 p.m. The sale is always held on the third Sunday of November, and the 2026 festivities in Beaune run from Friday, November 13, to Sunday, November 15.
Is the Hôtel-Dieu open during the wine sale weekend?
Yes. The Hôtel-Dieu opens every day of the year, and through November 15, 2026, it opens from 9 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. without a break. Adult admission costs €12.50 ($14), and the self-guided visit with audioguide takes about 1 hour.
What is the Pièce de Charité?
It is one pièce, usually a Grand Cru, auctioned each year for one or more charities chosen in September. In 2025 the Pommard 1er Cru Les Rugiens raised €400,000 ($432,000) for EHCO and the Institut Robert-Debré du Cerveau de l'Enfant.
