If you’ve been around here the past few weeks, it’ll have been nearly impossible to miss the fact that iDealwine is organising the 65th Hospices de Nuits-Saint-Georges auction on 8 March at Château du Clos de Vougeot. But how does it work? How much does it cost? Who can buy (spoiler alert: it’s everyone)? We’ll spill the beans in this article!

Who can buy lots?

Let’s start at the very beginning: Everyone can buy the wine up for auction. You don’t have to be a professional or to be well-established to take part in this auction. We know of several customers who are grouping together to bid on a barrel or who are using wine merchants’ services which offer the same solution (for more information on this subject, please ask us for the list).

Professionals and private individuals alike can take part in this auction. It’s open to all and you don’t need to travel to Burgundy (as nice as that is) to take part! There are three options to bid from a distance.

How do I register for the auction?

The auction takes place at 3pm on 8 March, but it’s imperative to register in advance (registration closes on Thursday 5 March 2026 at 23:59 (French time)). To do so, it’s as simple as filling in this form and sending it back to us.

What are the steps I need to take to buy wine?

• Register for the auction before 23:59 (CET) on Thursday 5 March 2026.
• Place bids, win lots and pay.
• Entrust the barrel to a Burgundian wine merchant who will mature the wine (please contact us for the list). You can select the wine merchant after winning your lot.
• Personalise the bottles (choice of bottle sizes and adding names to labels). If you group together to buy a barrel, the bottles will be divided between buyers who can each have their own personalised labels.
• Receive the bottles (around the start of 2027)
• Savour the wine at the right moment with those you hold dear.

Do I have to be in the room to place bids?

Of course not! There are three ways you can take part in the auction, which will also be held on the website Drouot Live. 

1. Take part in person at the château

To sign up, please fill in the registration form and send an email to hdn@idealwine.com providing a piece of identity, bank documents (IBAN), proof of address and a business registration such as a Kbis (the last document is only applicable to professional buyers only).

2. Place a purchase request or place bids over the phone

You can’t make it to Burgundy for the big day? Not a problem! iDealwine can place bids on your behalf according to the instructions you give us.

Your wish to place bids via a purchase request and over the telephone have to be made in writing before the auction through the registration form and sent along with the required legal paperwork (piece of identity, bank documents (IBAN), proof of address and a business registration document such as a Kbis for professional buyers). The requests have to be sent by 23:59 (French time) on Thursday 5 March 2026 at the latest. The buyer needs to state if the purchase request is enough or whether they wish to be called during the auction.

3. Bid online on Drouot Live

To bid online, the bidder needs to register in advance on the drouot.com website (create an account online before 23:59 (French time) on Thursday 5 March 2026) and contact iDealwine to validate participation. Please send an email to hdn@idealwine.com to provide a piece of identity, bank documents (IBAN), proof of address and a business registration such as a Kbis for professional buyers.

How much does it cost?

To give you an idea of the costs involved when buying a barrel, we’ve put together a rough example.

When you win a bid, on top of the hammer price, you’ll have to add the following fees:

• IWA commission (IWA is a subsidiary of iDealwine and its auctioneer): 6% excl. VAT of the hammer price (or 7.2% incl. VAT)
• Barrel fees:
  • For a 228-litre barrel (a pièce): €727 excl. VAT (or €872.40 incl. VAT) per lot
  • For a 114-little barrel (a feuillette): €445 excl. VAT (or €534 incl. VAT)
• Fees relating to maturation, bottles, and if applicable, personalisation are decided by each business who age the wine and these will also need to be added.

For example, if I bought a barrel with my parents and my cousin for €10,000 (hammer price):

• Hammer price: €10,000 at the gavel
• Buyer’s fees (6% excluding VAT): €600 excluding VAT
• Barrel fee: €874 excluding VAT (Please note that VAT is due on the price of the barrel even when the rest of the fees are invoiced VAT-free)
• Maturation and bottling fee (as an example): €3,000 excluding VAT
• Total price of a pièce = €14,474 excluding VAT
• Total price per bottle (288) = €50.26 excluding VAT

Key information about the Hospices de Nuits-Saint-Georges auction