We started the day with a tour of the Hospices de Beaune, had lunch in Beaune, and visited 2 wine producers, including tastings, in the afternoon: Joseph Drouhin and A.F. Gros.
I already reported about the whole trip here: Bourgogne Tour by ombiasy WineTours (2015), France
This posting focuses on the visit of the Hospices de Beaune.
Karoline Knoth was our guide.
Hospices de Beaune
The Hôtel-Dieu, one of the finest examples of French fifteenth-century architecture, is a stunning building, most famous for its elaborate tiled roofs. Until recently, it housed the Hospices de Beaune, founded in 1443 by Nicolas Rolin, chancellor of Burgundy, as a hospital for the poor. Services for patients are now provided in modern hospital buildings and the original hospital building, the Hôtel-Dieu, is now a museum.
The Hôtel-Dieu consists of a pair of two-storied buildings arranged around a stone courtyard. The building wings are well-preserved today; they contain half-timber galleries and ornate rooftops with dormer windows.
Today, you can walk through the former hospital and marvel at the sensitivity and attention afforded patients who often possessed little more than the clothes on their backs. Cared for by an order of nuns, the patients lived in large halls that still afforded them privacy and dignity.
Karoline Knoth guided us in a very entertaining and informative way through the Hôtel-Dieu, starting in the open courtyard to view the beautiful roofs and including the Hall of the Poor and the restored kitchen.
Over the centuries, many donations - farms, property, woods, works of art and of course vineyards - were made to the Hospices de Beaune, by grateful families and generous benefactors.
Domaine des Hospices de Beaune
Today, the Hospices de Beaune owns 61 hectares of donated vineyard land, much of this classified Grand and Premier Cru. Since 1852, the Domaine des Hospices de Beaune sells its wine through an auction, which takes place on the third Sunday in November amid a three-day festival devoted to the food and wines of Burgundy called Les Trois Glorieuses. The charity is preceded by a black tie dinner at the Clos de Vougeot on day one and followed by the lunch La Paulée de Meursault on day three.
For an interesting video about the auction, see here.
Lunch: Brasserie le Carnot in Beaune
After the tour, we had lunch at the Brasserie le Carnot.
Postings on the Bourgogne Tour by ombiasy WineTours (2015), France (Posted and Forthcoming)
Preview: Bourgogne Tour by ombiasy WineTours (2015 and 2016)
Bourgogne Tour by ombiasy WineTours (2015), France
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Schiller's Favorite Wine Bars in Beaune, Bourgogne, France
Visit: Hospices de Beaune with Karoline Knoth - – Bourgogne Tour by ombiasy WineTours (2015), France
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