The 160th edition of the sale of hospices de Beaune wines was marked by a strong context in this Coronavirus epidemic. It was also the scene of surprising twists and turns throughout this day of December 13, 2020. Here is a small summary of the main elements of this mythical auction.
Contrary to the custom organizing the sale of wines on the 3rd Sunday of November, this one exceptionally took place on Sunday, November 13, 2020, due to the french sanitary measures of this period.
Masked and respecting physical distancing, the organizers was able to set up this sale under the honorary presidency of Marc Lavoine (french singer), speaking by videoconference.
The event started with sales prices slightly low compared to the previous year, to record a total decrease of 0.75% from one year to the next.
Nevertheless, by collecting more than 12 million euros for the sale of wines from the hospices, it is one of its best sales in History, unforgettable, just like the 2020 vintage, baptized "The unforgettable" by Ludivine Griveau, manager of the hospices de Beaune estate.
Moreover, the charity piece, also called « Pièce des présidents » has been sold for 780,000€, which makes it an absolute record in history since the previous record dates back to 2015 for a piece sold for 480,000 €. All the income from this piece being donated to the hospitallers of France.
Here is what is even more promising for the sale of this year's wines, marking the 161st auction, this time organized by the famous house Sotheby's.