10 min read · Written and checked by Côte Privée, updated
In 2026 Burgundy's harvest began on 8 August with grapes for Crémant de Bourgogne, still wines followed from 16 August, and the last grapes reached the vat houses just before mid-September, the earliest harvest the region has known; in most years it falls between late August and late September. You can watch the pickers from the lanes, taste at the houses that open every day, and join the picking through an experience sold by the Beaune tourist office or as a paid seasonal worker. The Burgundy truffle, Tuber uncinatum, is gathered from mid-September to the end of January, and three autumn fêtes celebrate it: Is-sur-Tille on 17 October 2026, Châtillon-sur-Seine on the last Saturday of October and Noyers-sur-Serein on a Sunday its brotherhood sets each autumn.
In short
- In 2026 the harvest began on 8 August for Crémant de Bourgogne and on 16 August for still wines, and the last grapes came in just before mid-September, according to the BIVB.
- In most years Burgundy picks between late August and late September; each domaine chooses its own start, and grapes usually ripen 90 to 100 days after flowering.
- Visitors can pick for a morning or a day through harvest experiences sold by the Beaune tourist office; working as a picker means a seasonal contract of up to one month.
- The Burgundy truffle, Tuber uncinatum, is gathered with trained dogs from mid-September to the end of January.
When is the grape harvest in Burgundy, and when was it in 2026?
In most years between late August and late September, but 2026 came earlier than ever: picking began on 8 August in the Mâconnais for Crémant de Bourgogne, still wines followed from 16 August, the day after the public holiday, and many domaines had finished before the end of August.
The BIVB, the Burgundy wine board, puts the early start down to a hot, dry season with about sixty days above 30 °C. Some domaines picked at night to keep the grapes cool; a cooler end of August with some rain let the later plots wait, and the last grapes reached the vat houses just before mid-September. The crop is expected to be smaller than the ten-year average, and the board's official estimate comes in mid-November. In 2025, for comparison, the first pickers went into the vines on 18 August, for Crémant.
| Date in 2026 | Stage of the season |
|---|---|
| 27 May | Mid-flowering across the vineyard |
| 8 August | First picking, in the Mâconnais, for Crémant de Bourgogne |
| 16 August | Picking for still wines begins; the first seasonal pickers enter the rows of the Hospices de Beaune's estate |
| Late August | Many domaines have finished |
| Just before mid-September | The last grapes reach the vat houses |
| Mid-November | The BIVB publishes its official estimate of the crop |
How are harvest dates decided?
Each domaine decides for itself: the soil, the vintage and the grape variety set the start of each estate's harvest.
Growers follow the ripening by tasting the berries, the oldest method and still in use, says the Beaune tourist office, and by the calendar of the vine: the BIVB notes that grapes usually ripen 90 to 100 days after flowering, although in 2026 they ripened well before that. The exact start therefore depends on each year's flowering and summer weather, and a trip planned around the harvest is best kept flexible. In Dijon the start of the harvest, the ban des vendanges, was once proclaimed at the Église Saint-Philibert, the winegrowers' parish church.
What can you see during the harvest?
Teams of pickers and porters in the rows, tractors on the lanes, and sorting tables and presses at work in the vat houses: most of Burgundy is still picked by hand.
- A domaine's harvest usually lasts 10 to 15 days with about twenty pickers, according to the Beaune tourist office: pickers cut the bunches into baskets that porters collect, and some work at the sorting table.
- A picker's day starts at about 7.30, with coffee and a snack in the vines after two hours, lunch at 12.30 and the end of work at about 17.00.
- The Route des Grands Crus lets you watch from the road: stay on the tracks, do not touch the grapes and give way to tractors.
- At the Château du Clos de Vougeot, open every day, the monks' vat house still holds four giant wooden presses.
- When the last grapes are in, each domaine holds its paulée, a meal for the pickers, the growers and their friends.
Can visitors join the harvest?
Yes, in two ways: a few hours of picking through an experience sold by the Beaune tourist office, or a paid job as a picker for the whole harvest.
In harvest season the tourist office sells experiences at domaines that receive visitors while they pick: a morning or a day in the rows beside the regular pickers, or a special tasting with a visit of the vat house and the plots. The offers change from year to year, so check its booking page as the harvest approaches.
Paid picking is seasonal work: more than 40,000 pickers are needed each year in Bourgogne-Franche-Comté, and the jobs of cutter, porter and cellar hand are open without diploma or experience, through France Travail or the VITA Bourgogne website. Pickers are hired on a contrat vendanges, a fixed-term seasonal contract of up to one month.
Which cellars receive visitors during the harvest?
The large houses and visitor sites that open every day; small family domaines have little time for guests until the grapes are in, so book them ahead or after the harvest. Hours below are those each house published on its website on 1 October 2026.
| Where | Opening in harvest season, 2026 | Good to know |
|---|---|---|
| Marché aux Vins, Beaune | Every day; 10.00 to 19.00 from April to November | Self-guided tastings in the cellars of the old Cordeliers church |
| Château de Meursault | Every day; 10.00 to 18.30 from May to September, then 10.00 to 12.00 and 14.00 to 18.00 | Tastings without booking every day from 10.00 to 11.30 and 14.00 to 17.00, from €35 |
| Château de Pommard | Every day; 10.30 to 18.30 from 1 April to 30 November | All experiences by reservation only |
| Château du Clos de Vougeot | Every day; 9.30 to 18.00 from April to October | Guided tours in English at 11.30 and 15.30, €15 |
| Cité des Climats et vins de Bourgogne, Beaune | Every day; 10.00 to 19.00 until 30 September, then 10.00 to 18.00 | Exhibition on the vineyard and its climats; adults €14.50 |
| La Chablisienne, Chablis | Monday to Saturday 9.00 to 19.00, Sunday 10.00 to 13.00 and 14.00 to 18.30, from April to December | The tasting cellar of the growers' cooperative |
What is on in October, after the harvest?
The first tastes of the new vintage and the harvest festivals: vin bourru in Nuits-Saint-Georges, paulées, open cellars and the Fête des Vins de Chablis.
- Fête du Vin Bourru, 17 and 18 October 2026, under the halls of Nuits-Saint-Georges: the young, still-fermenting wine, with a tasting glass at €5 and the wines of Bugey as guests.
- Vignobles en Scène, 16 to 18 October 2026: shows, dinners and walks at estates around Beaune, most of them booked in advance.
- La Paulée du Château de Meursault, Saturday 17 October 2026: a ticketed harvest dinner cooked by a guest chef.
- Coup d'œil, Coup de cœur, 24 and 25 October 2026: the growers of Auxey-Duresses open their cellars.
- Fête des Vins de Chablis, 24 and 25 October 2026: growers pour their wines in the streets, with a tasting glass at €7.
- Then the Hospices de Beaune auction weekend, 13 to 15 November 2026, when the new vintage of the Hospices is sold in barrel.
When is the Burgundy truffle season?
From mid-September to the end of January: the Burgundy truffle, Tuber uncinatum, is an autumn truffle, found with trained dogs on the limestone plateaus above the vineyards.
It grows among hazels, hornbeams and black pines, and its scent recalls undergrowth and hazelnut, according to the Beaune tourist office. Harvests vary widely: at the Noyers market in October 2025, 13.6 kg were offered against 32 kg the year before, at an average of €700 per kilo, and every truffle was sold within an hour.
Two houses near Beaune show a truffle hunt on booking.
- La Maison aux Mille Truffes, in Marey-lès-Fussey in the Hautes-Côtes de Nuits: a demonstration with its Lagotto dog, then a tasting of truffle dishes, at 15.30 for €32 per person, or with lunch at 11.00 for €79.
- Domaine Armelle et Bernard Rion, in Vosne-Romanée: Les Trésors de la Côte, a walk in the truffle ground with a Lagotto, followed by a tasting of five wines and two truffle products, €85 per person from four people, 1 h 45.
Where are the truffle markets in autumn 2026?
In three towns north of Beaune, one to two hours away: Is-sur-Tille, Châtillon-sur-Seine and Noyers-sur-Serein. Each has its own page with the latest dates: the Fête de la Truffe et des Papilles, the Fête de la Truffe impériale and the Marché aux truffes de Noyers.
Arrive early if you want to buy: in Noyers a crowd gathers before the guest of honour rings a cowbell to open the sale. Fresh Burgundy truffles keep up to 8 days in the fridge, according to the Domaine Rion, which also ships them in autumn from 200 g, on reservation.
| Market | Date in 2026 | From Beaune | Good to know |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fête de la Truffe et des Papilles, Is-sur-Tille (Côte-d'Or) | Saturday 17 October, from 10.00, place de la République | About 1 hour | Free entry; giant truffle omelette at noon, €32 on registration |
| Fête de la Truffe impériale, Châtillon-sur-Seine (Côte-d'Or) | The last Saturday of October | About 1 h 45 | Truffle market, truffle-hunting demonstrations and cooking contests; check the programme before you travel |
| Marché aux truffes de Noyers, Noyers-sur-Serein (Yonne) | An autumn Sunday, usually late October, set by the Confrérie de la Truffe de Bourgogne | About 1 h 30 | Commissioners check every truffle with a knife before the sale; giant truffle omelette |
How do you plan a harvest or truffle day with a driver?
Choose the wine day that fits the distance: a full day costs €560 per car for up to four guests, for 8 hours and up to 150 km, and a long day, €880 for 12 hours, suits Noyers or Châtillon-sur-Seine. Tastings and truffles are paid on the spot; tell us your plan when you book and we will confirm the route.
- Saturday 17 October 2026, full day: the truffle fête in Is-sur-Tille in the morning, lunch on the way, and the Fête du Vin Bourru in Nuits-Saint-Georges in the afternoon, about 140 km in all.
- Long day: the Noyers truffle market in the morning and a tasting in Chablis after lunch, about 285 km there and back; see our Chablis day trip.
- In harvest season: a half day for €290 in Pommard, Volnay and Meursault, at houses that keep receiving visitors.
Questions
Nobody knows yet: each domaine starts when its grapes are ripe, usually 90 to 100 days after flowering, so the date depends on that year's flowering and summer. In most years Burgundy picks between late August and late September.
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