A bonus for fans of Beaune wines

HOSPICES aren't usually what wine connoisseurs associate with auctions. A notable exception is Hospices de Beaune in the Cote de Beaune area of Burgundy, France.

Also known as Hotel Dieu, it was founded in 1443 by Nicolas Rolin and Guigone de Salins, and dedicated to the poor and less fortunate. Today, the original building is a museum but its legacy and work live on.

Its successor is the modern hospital, Hospices Civils de Beaune. And thanks to half a millennium of bequests and donations, the Hospices de Beaune has turned into a veritable powerhouse of Burgundy fine wine production.