Burgundy’s most expensive afternoon began as a hospital fundraiser.

In 1443, Nicolas Rolin, chancellor to Philip the Good, Duke of Burgundy, and his wife Guigone de Salins founded the Hôtel-Dieu in Beaune to care for the town’s poor. In 1457 a benefactor, Jean Guillotte le Verrier, gave it vines. Others followed, and the cuvées still carry their donors’ names.

By 1859 the Hospices was selling each new vintage at public auction, and bidding closed by candlelight: the hammer fell only once two candles had burned out without a fresh bid.

The candles have mostly retired. Sotheby’s runs the sale now, and only the Pièce de Charité, a single barrel sold for charity, still goes under the flame. Last year’s, a Pommard Premier Cru Les Rugiens, sold for €400,000.

When is the Hospices de Beaune auction 2026?

The 166th Hospices de Beaune auction takes place on Sunday, November 15, 2026, at 2:30 p.m. under the Halles de Beaune, across the square from the Hôtel-Dieu. It is always held on the third Sunday of November, and it sits in the middle of Les Trois Glorieuses, the three days of dinners Burgundy throws for itself at the end of every harvest.

Bidding means registering with Sotheby’s in advance. Watching only means finding a spot in the square, where a giant screen relays the room. This year’s charity barrel raises money for rare-disease research, and the 2026 harvest, picked in nine days in August, came in small (we’re sure the bidders will have noticed).

What to do in Beaune in November?

The weekend is Beaune at full volume, and two nights is the right dose: arrive Saturday, leave after lunch on Monday.

On Saturday the old town closes to traffic, and the Festivinales sets up on place Carnot. At 2 p.m., the Semi-Marathon de la Vente des Vins sends runners 21.1 kilometers through Pommard, Volnay and Meursault, with tasting stops in Volnay and Meursault, which goes some way to explaining the finishing times. That evening, the Confrérie des Chevaliers du Tastevin holds its black-tie dinner at Château du Clos de Vougeot.

Sunday belongs to the auction. Patriarche Père et Fils is pouring the 166th sale’s wines in its cellars beforehand, and once the hammer has fallen for the last time, the gala dinner is held by candlelight at the Hôtel-Dieu, under its glazed tile roof.

Monday is La Paulée de Meursault at Château de Meursault. Jules Lafon started it in 1923 as a harvest lunch for 35 people in his vat room. The rule hasn’t changed: every guest brings a bottle, and lunch rarely finishes before dark.

Where to stay in Beaune

Hôtel Le Cep, on rue Maufoux inside the ramparts, is a five-star made from a run of old townhouses, a five-minute walk from the Halles. On auction weekend that walk matters more than the thread count. Rooms within the ramparts go months ahead, so this is a trip to book in summer.

Where to eat in Beaune

Ma Cuisine, tucked down passage Sainte-Hélène, is where the winemakers eat, and its wine list is considerably longer than its menu. For something more polished, Loiseau des Vignes pours around 70 wines by the glass, which on a weekend like this one is practically a public service.

The bids in Beaune used to end when the candle did, and the weekend runs on the same principle: two nights is about as long as one’s candle lasts.