Carla star attraction at French wine world's party

Carla Bruni-Sarkozy, France's former first lady, will Sunday add a touch of supermodel sparkle to this year's Hospices de Beaune, the annual charity auction that is one of the highlights of the year for France's wine world. The auction, being held for the 152nd time in what was a hospital for the poor founded in the 15th century, is the highlight of three days of festivities centred on the region's celebrated food and wine. The auction is also seen as an important bellwether of the state of the Burgundian wine trade with the prices raised for the selected barrels put up for sale broadly seen as an indicator of the quality of the vintage. British auctioneers Christie's now run the event that attracts wine connoisseurs from all over the world. But it is Bruni-Sarkozy who will wield the hammer during bidding for the prestigious "piece du president" (the chairman's item), a 350-litre barrel of Corton Grand Cru, Cuvee Charlotte Dumay, the proceeds of which go to a different charity every year. Her task will be to push the bidding as high as possible with the funds raised going to her own foundation and a Lyon-based charity that helps epileptic children. Last year's 'piece' went for 100,000 euros. Helping Bruni-Sarkozy preside over the ceremonies will be France's most famous actor Gerard Depardieu, who is himself a wine-maker, and Guy Roux, the former coach of French League One side Auxerre. It has been an extremely tough year for Burgundy's wine-makers with a tripple whammy of late frosts, hail and mildew combining to cut yields by a third from last year's levels. The Hospices' own production has not been spared. A shortage of grapes has resulted in two of the 46 cuvees, or blends, made under the Hospices label not being produced this year and the total number of barrels up for auction will be 512, sharply down from 761 last year. The scarcity of supply will inevitably push up prices but professionals say the adverse conditions have not impacted on the quality of the wine. "The harvest was small but most cuvees are close to ideal in terms of quality with exceptional length in the mouth, the reds in particular," said Roland Masse, the director of the Hospices wine operation. Masse has spent the last few weeks with dozens of trade figures intensively tasting the young vintage and trying to assess its potential, which, in the case of many of the wines, will not be fully apparent for years. Representatives of Albert Bichot, one of Burgundy's biggest merchants and the biggest buyer at the auctions for the last 15 years, are among those who have already tasted all 44 of the cuvees that will be on sale Sunday. For groups like Bichot, increasingly focused on selling to Asia, the stakes are high. "We entertain 250 clients over the weekend," underlines communications director Jean-David Camus.