Burgundy does not have a traditional “en primeur” week. The best-known event is the wine auction at the Hospices de Beaune, which is the world’s largest charity wine auction.
To this day, the Hospices de Beaune is funded mainly through income from the vineyards bequeathed to the foundation by patients since it was established. Every year, over the third weekend in November, it celebrates the “Trois Glorieuses”, or the Three Glorious Days. In the course of these festivities, wines produced from the foundation’s holdings are sold at auction. For the wine trade, the prices obtained at the auction are an indicator of the quality of a vintage.
Each auction is preceded by a tasting with experts from around the globe, where each vintage is discussed and assessed.