Hospices de Beaune, charity auction which has taken place in beaune annually since 1851 on the third Sunday in November, a key feature of the Burgundian calendar. The beneficiaries are the combined charitable organizations of the Hôtel Dieu, founded in 1443 by Nicolas Rolin, chancellor of the duchy of Burgundy, and the Hôpital de la Charité.
The produce of vineyard holdings donated by benefactors over the centuries is auctioned at prices usually well in excess of current commercial values. Nevertheless, the results serve as some indication of the trend in bulk wine prices for the new vintage.
