NY fine wine auction sells big, most buyers from Asia

A New York auction of fine wine on Monday exceeded two million dollars in sales, twice the estimates of Sotheby's, which sold most of the merchandise to clients in Asia and over the Internet.

The auction house had predicted sales totalling one to 1.5 million dollars.

The five most expensive lots were sold to Asian clients, who paid 48,400 dollars for 12 bottles of 1990 Chateau Le Pin (from Pomerol in France's Bordeaux region) and 36,300 dollars for three magnums (three litres, 3.17 quarts) of 1982 Chateau Lafite.

They also doled out 30,250 dollars for 12 bottles of 1990 Chateau Petrus.

"The sale was a remarkable 98 per cent sold by lot and over 99 per cent sold by value," Sotheby's said in a statement.

For the first time, the fine art dealer, which also deals in luxury homes and fine wines, allowed potential buyers to place their bids over the Internet.

The move "was met with an extremely enthusiastic response among bidders from around the world", the auction house said, noting that it sold 17 per cent of its lots online.

Asian clients "were once again a strong presence in this sale", it said, taking in nine of the top 10 lots and representing all of the top five buyers by value.