(NPR) - France's former first lady Carla Bruni-Sarkozy and former soccer coach Guy Roux preside over the 152nd Hospices de Beaune wine auction on Nov. 18 in Beaune, France. The charity auction raised an all-time high of $7.5 million, which goes to area hospitals and. this year, to Fondation Carla Bruni-Sarkozy. For the last century and a half, the wine season in France's grape-growing region of Burgundy has revolved around one major, commercial event. On the third Sunday in November, hundreds of barrels of the recent harvest are sold to the highest bidder in a charity wine auction. The historic event, which took place this year on Nov. 18, has evolved into an A-list rendezvous for the power players in the international wine industry.