Burgundy withstands crisis, Hospices sales up by one fifth

Burgundy seems to suffer little from the economic crisis. At the annual Hospices de Beaune wine auction sales rose by twenty percent compared to 2008. All available wines found a buyer and the total turnover amounted to 4.9 million euros. For the first time individuals could also buy a barrel of wine at the Hospices de Beaune. The négociant Albert Bichot operated this year as an intermediary for 500 individual buyers. The British auction house Christie’s let clients follow the auction on the special website Christie’s Live. 57 individual buyers followed the auction in this way. Professional buyers were not all positive about the new rules. The auction lasted nine hours in total this year, much longer than before. Presales of Burgundy wines from the 2009 harvest are going well. Perhaps the quality of 2009 also plays a role in the continued success of wines from Burgundy.