This being an edition of Power Tasting focused on health, choosing a location for the Places to Visit column poses a particular challenge. But aha! What about a hospital? A hospital as a place to visit while wine tasting? Well, the Hospices de Beaune used to be a hospital and it’s smack-dab in the middle of Burgundy’s famed Côte d’Or (or Golden Coast).
Beaune is a small town that forms the demarcation between the two Burgundian regions that are the home to some of the world’s most well-regarded Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. To the north is the Côte de Nuit (the Night Coast, with wines of more minerality and structure) and to the south is the Côte de Beaune, with more luscious reds, more delicate whites. In 1443, the Chancellor of Burgundy founded a hospital in this town. Now, a hospital in the Middle Ages was not a good place to get well. The rich stayed sick at home and the poor went to hospitals in the expectation that they would die there.
Photo courtesy of beaune-tourism.com.
But the Hospices de Beaune was different. It was intended to be a palace for the poor and palatial it was…and is. It has extravagant Gothic architecture, with turrets and garrets surrounding a broad courtyard. The interior, where the patients lay, features a grand, vaulted ceiling and nooks for the beds. And the roof! One of the architectural joys of ancient Burgundian châteaux is the intricate tilework on the roofs, and that at the Hospices de Beaune is among the best.
Photo courtesy of Burgundy Tourism.
Amazingly, the Hospices de Beaune continued to serve patients until 1971. Today it’s a museum where you can – you should – see it all when you go wine tasting in Burgundy. Be prepared to be wrapped in history, art and architecture. Just as much, you will be in the midst of wine history. As the Hospices was becoming established, local nobles donated land to help fund its operations. That land was in areas we now know as Pommard, Volnay, Meursault, Savigny, Corton, Mazis-Chambertin, Echezeaux and Clos de la Roche as well as Beaune itself. Needless to say, these are communes that produce some of the greatest Burgundy wines. Today, the Domaines de Hospices de Beaune are spread over 60 hectares (148 acres), with Pinot Noir constituting 85% of the vines.
Once a year, in mid-November, there is a weekend-long charity auction of Hospices de Beaune’s wines. Most are Grand Crus and Premier Crus. Members of the wine trade, connoisseurs of Burgundy wines and some very serious wine lovers assemble in the Great Hall to bid on the wines. Of course, there are other festivities, including a coveted, invitation-only dinner at the nearby Clos de Vougeot château, hosted by the Chevaliers de Tastevin, the exclusive Burgundy wine society. Perhaps you’re interested in bidding on a case or two? Sorry, but they auction it off by the barrel.
If, like us, you enjoy travelling around the world-wide Wine Country, the Côte d’Or should be on your list. If you go, you should visit Beaune. Many of the top negociants have tasting rooms there. And when you do go to Beaune, make sure to leave time to see the Hospices de Beaune.