Definition: Hospices de Beaune 2

1443 - Against a backdrop of poverty and famine, Nicolas Rolin, Chancellor to Philip the Good, Duke of Burgundy, and his wife Guigone de Salins founded the Hôtel-Dieu de Beaune to help the "poor and sick". Since its creation, this hospital has been financed by donations of cash, land, buildings and, naturally in Burgundy, vineyards.
In 1459, Jean Plampays and his wife made the first donation of vineyards to the Hospices de Beaune. Many others followed over the centuries. From then on, the funds raised from the sale of the produce of the bequeathed vineyards were used to finance the Hospices' charitable works. The procedures for selling the wine have changed over the centuries: they evolved from private sales, which remained in force until the French Revolution.

1859 - For the first time, the Hospices' wines were sold at auction. For many years, the sale took place by candlelight, with the auction taking place after the last bid, at the end of the uninterrupted burning of two candles. For reasons of time, this traditional procedure is now applied to a limited number of bids in the sale. Over the years, the Hospices de Beaune wine auction has become the most famous charity wine auction in the world.

2005 Keen to combine tradition and modernity, the Hospices de Beaune turned to Christie's to organise the 145th wine auction.
2006 Since 1945, the Hospices de Beaune have supported one or more other charities represented by public figures each year, donating the profits from the sale of one of the wine barrels, known as the "pièce des présidents" (presidents' barrel), to these causes. In 2006, the three patrons - Princess Margarita of Romania, Fanny Ardant and Alice Taglioni - raised the stakes for the "pièce des Présidentes" (Presidents' barrel), with the proceeds going to the Princess Margarita of Romania and Enfants et Santé charities. The Beaune Premier Cru Cuvée Dames Hospitalières barrel reached €200,000, a record in the history of the Hospices de Beaune.
All information about Christie's auction group and the Beaune wine auction can be found at the official Internet links: