Burgundy prices post healthy rise at Hospices sale

Prices of red and white Burgundy increased by 12% at last weekend’s Hospices de Nuits-Saint-Georges auction, held in Dijon.

The charity sale auctioned 133 barrels of red and white Burgundy for €484,700 (£329,300) – an increase of 11.5% for red and 12.5% for white wines on last year’s sale of the much-lauded 2005 vintage.

The highest price paid for a single lot was €5,300 (£4,000) for two barrels of Nuits-Saint-Georges 1er Cru “Les Terres Blanches” Cuvée Pierre de Pême.

Less well-known and 100 years younger than the more illustrious Hospices de Beaune auction, the Nuits-Saint-Georges sale, though open to the public, is supported mainly by négociants.

However, the Hospices de Beaune auction – which takes place in November of the current vintage year – has recently been handled by UK auction house Christie’s, attracting more individuals and companies from outside the wine region itself.

The proceeds of the Nuits-Saint-Georges auction will go to ARSEP, a charity which aids research into multiple sclerosis.

Written by Maggie Rosen