At a time of misery and famine, Nicolas Rolin, chancellor to Philippe Le Bon, Duke of Burgundy, and his wife, Guigone de Salins, establish the Hôel-Dieu (Hospital) to take care of the ill and poor. Since its foundation, the Hospital has been funded by legacies and gifts in the form of money, land, buildings and naturally in Burgundy, vineyards.

The first gift of vineyards to the Hospice was made by Guillotte le Verrier of: "Beaune, lieudit Beaumont-le-Franc". Two years later, Jean Plampays and his wife donated further Beaune vineyards. Many other such donations followed over the next centuries. Ever since, the funds gathered thanks to the sale of the vineyards production are dedicated to funding the charitable activities of the Hospices. The methods of sale have varied over time, since the private sales in force until the French Revolution.

The wines of the Hospices were sold by auction for the first time in 1795, and then in 1796. From then on, the Hospices alternated, selling by private treaty or by auction. Since 1859 the auction has taken the form by which we now know it. For many years, the auction took place by candleflame (à la bougie). This traditional method being relatively time-consuming, today it is retained solely for the sale of the Pièce des Présidents. Over the years, the Hospices de Beaune Wine Auction has become the most famous charity wine auction in the world.

From the 1945 vintage onwards, an Honorary President has presided over each Wine Sale. The first person was His Excellency Jefferson Caffery, US Ambassador to France. His presence illustrated the Hospices de Beaune’s desire to reach out across the globe. Wishing to highlight their philanthropic objectives, since 1978 the Hospices has donated each year one or more barrels (known as "Pièce des Presidents") to be auctioned for carefully chosen, charitable purposes.

The Hospices de Beaune have entrusted Christie’s with the organisation of their Wine Sale, combining tradition and modernity. The famous auction house brings its knowhow to bear, implementing the most modern ways of attracting bids from across the globe, while hosting Hospices tastings in many countries. Since 2010, when the 150th Hospices Auction was celebrated, promotional tours have regularly taken place across Asia. New Cuvées have entered the Hospices domaine : Santenay Cuvée Christine Friedberg in 2010 and a prestigious new Grand Cru from the C.te de Nuits in 2011 – Echezeaux Grand Cru Cuvée Jean-Luc Bissey.

Since 2012, important investments have been made in the Hospices winery and cellars. All sorting tables have been up-graded, as has the temperature-control system for the fermentation vats. Since 2013, all red grapes have been gently conveyed by gravity into the vats, allowing more precise wine-making decisions to be made. Barrel purchasing has equally been fine-tuned. The 2015 vintage coincides with the arrival of Ludivine Griveau as manager of the vineyard. In 2017, a Puligny-Montrachet Cuvée is offered for the first time for sale (Cuvée Bernard Clerc).