BUYERS were certainly thirsty for wine at a recent auction which racked up an incredible £233,240 in sales of rare bottles.

The El-Shamy Wine Collection Sale at Tennants Auctioneers in Leyburn was a rare thing - a 'white glove' sale in which every single lot sold.

One of the most important UK wine sales to be held outside London in recent years, the auction included some of the greatest wines produced over the last four decades.

After competitive bidding from across the globe, the sale was topped by six bottles of Domaine de la Romanée-Conti La Tâche 1990, which sold for £30,000.

Tennants' auctioneer William McNab said of the case: "Romanée-Conti produce some of the most popular wines in the world, and 1990 was a particularly good year for grape crops leading to a great vintage that will only get better with age."

From the same domain and vintage came further strong results.

Six bottles of Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Richebourg 1990 sold for £18,000 and six bottles of Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Grands Echezeaux 1990 went for £15,000.

Also of note in the sale was a 12-bottle case of Chateau Haut Brion 1989 Pessac-Leognan, which sold for £15,000.

The sale resulted in a total hammer price of £233,240 for the 125-lot sale, with a 100 per cent sold rate.