A high-tech system for ensuring the provenance of Bordeaux wine is pushing up prices at auction, it has been claimed.

Radio-frequency identification (RFID) tags will assure the buyer that the fine wine in the case has not been subjected to excessive heat or cold during storage or shipping, which can seriously affect the quality.

According to Bloomberg, the presence of a number of RFIDs on cases of Bordeaux First Growths, along with certificates guaranteeing they had been cellared in Bordeaux since release, saw prices rocket during Sotheby's latest wine auction in New York.

Cases of 2000 Chateau Lafite Rothschild sold for $36,300 (£23,000), while 2000 Chateau Haut Brion achieved $12,100 (£7,600) and Chateau Palmer from the same year made $4,235 (£2,700) - all record prices down to "five-star provenance", the publication claims.

Another high-tech development in the wine world announced recently was the oak scanning system, developed by barrel maker Radoux and the Faculty of Oenology at Bordeaux University, which can identify the concentration of tannins in the wine.