Hospices result 'better than anticipated'

Yesterday's auction at the Hospices de Beaune took over €3m ?less than last year but with a reduced number of barrels for sale.

The 450 barrels of red wine and 94 barrels of white wine auctioned by Christie's in a packed hall at the Hotel-Dieu in Beaune went for a total of €3,024,676.

The Special President's Barrel benefiting two charitable organizations sold for
€50,000.

Because of a hugely reduced harvest in 2008 the number of barrels was 10% down on last year ?the lowest number sold for 21 years. In 2007 there were 607 barrels sold, compared to 680 in 2006 and 789 in 2007.

There was enthusiastic bidding for the new Cuv¨¦e offered this year, Pommard-Epenots Premier Cru, Cuv¨¦e Dom Goblet, which sold for the highest average price of any Pommard in the auction: €5.750 per barrel.

In total there were 31 Cuv¨¦es of red wine, and 12 of white.

Anthony Hanson MW, Christie's senior consultant, said, 'At a time of economic uncertainty and after a summer which saw grape production cut by
half for some of the best appellations of the in the end the results are better than we dared to anticipate.'