The 154th Hospices de Beaune auction reached a new record on Sunday, bringing in more than 8 million euros, according to auction house Christie's.

The total amount raised at the auction amounted to 8,082,525 euros ($10.12m), an increase of 28 percent on 2013, when a small harvest meant small amounts of wine to sell. This year, volume was up by 20 percent on last year.

Auctioneers sold off 534 barrels (or pieces) of 47 different wines on Sunday; 33 red and 14 white. The average price for a piece was 13,750 euros, an increase of 5.66 percent on last year. White wines recorded an average increase of 14.57 percent and red wines rose by 3.37 percent.

The prestigious "president's cuvee", a Corton Le Bressandes Grand Cru, was sold to a group of Quebec wine enthusiasts through the negociant Albert-Bichel for 220,000 euros. The money from that sale will go to the Toutes l'Ecole, an organization that funds education for girls in Cambodia, and the Imagine Foundation, which undertakes research into genetic diseases.

The rest of the auction proceeds will go towards maintaining the Hospices de Beaune, which was founded in the 15th Century by Nicolas Rolin, Chancellor of the Duke of Burgundy.

Overall, prices saw an increase of 25 percent for rare white wines and 6 to 7 percent increase on average for the reds, according to the president of the Burgundy producers' union, Frederic Drouhin.

"This is a dynamic sale reflecting the qualitative judgment of buyers", he said.

According to Christie's, a lot of Clos de La Roche Grand Cru reached a price of 74,900 euros for a piece, auguring well for Burgundy prices from the 2014 vintage.

Anthony Hanson, from Christie's wine department, said: "Before, the sale was a barometer" for Burgundy wine markets.

"Today the barometer is broken; it's a charity auction, people are not buying to do business, but for another motivation," he said.

The vignerons however, welcomed the 2014 vintage with smiles.

"The balance sheet is still delicate, but early estimates predict 1.5 million hectoliters production. This will bring plenty of oxygen to Burgundy as our stocks were at the lowest," said the president of the Confederation of Appellations and Winemakers of Burgundy (CAVB), Jean-Michel Aubinel.

In 2013, the merchants were alarmed at "historically low stocks", which had hurt exports.

The 2014 auction was the last one for Roland Masse, who has stood down after 15 years in charge of the winemaking team at the domaine.

Interviewed before the auction by AFP, he said that he had checked the 47 young cuvees regularly.

"We cannot afford any mistakes. We are the first to present the wines of the vintage."

Masse coordinated the work of 22 winemakers employed by the estate to maintain the vineyards according to the rule book. The Hospices de Beaune estate extends over 61 hectares (150 acres), and he knows each parcel by heart, as well as the labyrinth of the old vat rooms below the famous tiled-roof building of the Hotel-Dieu.

In January, Masse hands over to Ludivine Griveau, 36, who will be the first woman to take on the role.

"Making wine is not a question of what sex you are, it's a question of personality,?Masse said. "She is young, she has the time to prove herself."