World Famous Wine

Beaune is one of the key wine centers in France, and the center of Burgundy wine production and business. The annual wine auction of the Hospices de Beaune is the primary wine auction in France. (The hospice structure, in the town center, being one of the best preserved renaissance buildings in Europe.)

The town is surrounded by some of the world’s most famous wine villages, while the facilities and cellars of many producers, large and small, are situated in the historic center of Beaune itself, as they have been since Roman times. With a rich historical and architectural heritage, Beaune is considered the “Capital of Burgundy wines”.

It is an ancient and historic town on a plain by the hills of the Côte d’Or, with features remaining from the pre-Roman and Roman eras, through the medieval and renaissance periods.

Beaune is a walled city, with about half of the battlements, ramparts, and the moat, having survived in good condition. The central “old town” or “vieille ville” is extensive. Historically Beaune is intimately connected with the Dukes of Burgundy.

Landmarks in Beaune include the old market (les Halles), the 15th-century Hospices, the Beffroi (clock tower), and the collegiate church of Notre Dame. Beaune is the main center for the “Burgundian tile” polychrome renaissance roofing style of the region.

A burgundian icon and capital of Bourgogne’s wine trade, Beaune takes centre place on the world stage during the annual Hospices de Beaune wine auction.

The Hôtel-Dieu, built in the Flamboyant style, the huge silent cellars of the négociants houses, and the wine-growing domaines of the district all attract countless visitors. The Beaune vineyards are among the most extensive of the Côte. From here comes the Pinot vermilion of the Dukes of Bourgogne- a red wine, aromatic and full of fire, whose reputation goes back to the late Middle Ages. The whites, less common, make the best use of soils suited to the Chardonnay grape.
The BEAUNE AOC was established in 1936.