Beaune

The best way to take in the town of Beaune is to park and walk into the narrow old streets of the wine capital of Burgundy. Today the most important landowner in the region is the Hospices de Beaune, a charitable organization founded in 1443 by Nicolas Rolin, chancellor of the Duke of Burgundy. Every year they hold a wine auction at the Hôtel Dieu—it is one of the wine trade’s most important events. Built as a hospital, the Hôtel Dieu is so elegantly decorated that it seems more like a palace. You will want to take a guided tour of this lovely building which is an exceptional example of medieval architecture whose rooms house an incredible collection of furnishings, art, tapestries, and the incredible exhibit, the Last Judgement by Rogier van der Weyden. (Open all year, tel: 03.80.24.45.00, www.hospices-de-beaune.tm.fr.) You can also visit the Musée du Vin de Bourgogne in the Hôtel des Ducs de Bourgogne. (Closed Tues, Dec to Apr, tel: 03.80.22.08.19.) There are delightful shops, restaurants, and cafés aplenty. Wine lovers may want to visit one of the négotiant-éleveurs who buy wines of the same appellation from growers and blend and nurture them to produce an “elevated” superior wine. At the heart of the wine region, Beaune serves as a wonderful base from which to explore the region. The wine capital, it reigns over 5,000 hectares of the Côte de Beaune whose wines are as diverse in character as they are high in quality. Full bodied reds as well as rich and complex whites are produced by vineyards known the world over: Pommard, Meursault and Puligny-Montrachet. When following the Route des Vins don’t overlook the 650 hectares of the Hautes-Côtes de Beaune which wind up the slopes and are recognized for their red and white Burgundies.