FEATURES ARCHIVE

Would you like to take part in the oldest and most famous charity wine auction in the world by purchasing Burgundy in barrel? Follow these 6 easy steps...

By deciding to purchase wine from the Hospices de Beaune Domaine*, you will perpetuate a centuries-old tradition of generous benefactors and charitable giving. Since the Middle Ages, the Hospices de Beaune wine proceeds have been dedicated to the improvement of the medical care and structures, as well as to the upkeep of the historical monuments.

1. Gather your family or some friends in order to buy together and share one or several small barrels of wine (called “pieces*” in Burgundy). The Hospices de Beaune Wine Auction has indeed been easily opened to private individuals since 2005.

2. Choose your wine among 45 Cuvées*. There are wines to suit all pockets – great whites from Meursault up to Corton-Charlemagne, with reds from Beaune, through Volnay and Pommard up to Mazis-Chambertin. Before the auction, tastings are organised in several towns worldwide to help you choose your wine.

3. Attend the auction in person in the saleroom in Beaune. If you cannot attend the auction in Beaune, you can also bid from a distance: either live by telephone or via internet, or by leaving a written bid before the sale. For seated ticket information, please contact beaune@christies.com.

4. After the sale, your wine will be tended* by a Burgundy négociant-éleveur in whose cellars it will mature until the chosen moment of bottling (between 12 and 24 months after the auction). Christie’s will be delighted to advise you if you are not already in contact with a local négociant.

5. Have each of your bottles personalised with your name, or that of your company, club or association, on the label beside the crest of the Hospices. This is an ideal way to personalise a special present.

6. Have your wine delivered to your chosen address. Buying a barrel leads, once the wine has been tended*, to the bottling of a minimum of 24 cases of 12 bottles or an equivalent quantity in other bottle sizes (magnums, double-magnums, etc.). In volume, this represents half a pallet, which will be available for collection from the tender’s cellars, or can be delivered according to your instructions.

Enquiries:
beaune@christies.com
+33 (0)1 40 76 83 68

RELATED SALE
Sale 1017
151st Hospices de Beaune Wine Auction
20 November 2011