Recent auctions have demonstrated the strength of Petrus and Domaine de la Romanee-Conti, while in contrast Cheval Blanc showed relative weakness.

A Sotheby's auction, which raised over £1 million in total, focused largely on Bordeaux and Champagne, with the top lot an imperial of Petrus 2000 that sold for £32,000, the Drinks Business reports.

Meanwhile, Domaine de la Romanee-Conti has consistently outperformed estimate prices since early last year, according to the publication, with last week's Bonhams auction seeing a case of the 1988 go for £74,750.

However, a large collection of Cheval Blanc, spanning 1986 to 2004, often fell well within their estimates at the Sotheby's sale, prompting some commentators to question the brand's potential as an investment wine.

It's not just wines themselves that command a high price at auction - recently, a Sussex woman who bought six wine glasses for 40p at a car boot sale was stunned to see them go under the hammer for £19,000, after it emerged they were the work of artisan William Beilby.