Beaune sits at the heart of Burgundy's wine country as the region's wine capital, where medieval ramparts encircle narrow streets lined with wine merchants' shops, ancient cellars, and notable historical sites connected to five centuries as the seat of the powerful Dukes of Burgundy. This small city of approximately 22,000 residents developed its distinctive character through the wine trade, with its historical center still dominated by the Hôtel-Dieu (Hospices de Beaune), a 15th-century Gothic hospital with its spectacular polychrome tiled roof, founded in 1443 by Chancellor Nicolas Rolin and still hosting the world's most famous charity wine auction each November. Unlike larger regional capitals, Beaune maintains an intimate scale where almost everything lies within the largely intact medieval walls, including the Basilique Notre-Dame with its 15th-century tapestries, and numerous wine negociant houses where tastings occur in vaulted stone cellars beneath historic mansions. The surrounding landscape of the Côte d'Or (Golden Slope) features precisely delineated vineyards producing some of the world's most prestigious wines, with grand cru and premier cru plots often separated by nothing more than a narrow footpath or stone wall, though representing significant differences in terroir that affect wine characteristics. Beaune's gastronomic significance extends beyond wine to traditional Burgundian cuisine, with restaurants serving regional specialties like coq au vin, boeuf bourguignon, and jambon persillé (ham in parsley aspic), often accompanied by local cheeses including Epoisses, its pungent aroma contrasting with its creamy texture. The city's history as a trading center manifests through the medieval commercial center with half-timbered houses and stone mansions built by wealthy merchants, while underground, a network of wine cellars dating back centuries holds aging barrels and bottles of the region's famous Pinot Noir and Chardonnay wines. Throughout the year, Beaune serves as both a working center of wine commerce and a visitor destination, with seasonal changes bringing different aspects of wine production to the foreground, from spring bud break through summer grape cultivation to the intense energy of the autumn harvest, followed by the deliberate pace of winter when winemakers focus on the careful aging process crucial to Burgundy's distinctive terroir-driven wines.