Signs that the brakes are being applied to the emerging Asian wine market are becoming more widespread, with Bordeaux's Lafite Rothschild among the chateaux which have been left disappointed at recent Hong Kong auctions.

Bordeaux is expected to find things particularly tough in the current slowdown, which will come as a hard blow after the optimism following record interest from Asia during 2009 and 2010. During the Sotherby's auction in Hong Kong, six lots of Chateau Lafite actually went unsold, alongside other offerings from the popular Mouton Rothschild and Margaux.

Speaking to the Financial Times, head of Sotheby's Wine in Asia Robert Sleigh described the market as taking a breather.

"Prices of commodity high-end Bordeaux will settle down in the first half of the year as top collectors become more choosy about what they are buying," he explained. "There is less liquidity and the market is evolving. A historic quantity was sold at historic prices in the last three years which mean that collectors now want to diversify the content of their cellars."

However, the impact has not been felt so strongly among other producer regions, with Burgundy, Champagne and Californian wines still proving popular. Burgundy growers have particularly good reason to be pleased with this, with many riding the wave of optimism over the 2010 en primeur, which is widely expected to be more in line with the true Burgundy style than 2009s.

Fine+Rare Wines head of marketing Simon Davies believes the market will remain tough for Bordeaux growers for some time, following the highs of the last few years. "People are paying what they think a wine is worth rather than paying absolutely anything just to gain face," he explained.

However, Burgundy growers are hopeful they can take advantage of Chinese investors' keenness to diversify their portfolios after focusing almost exclusively on Bordeaux's top First Growths.