Wine connoisseurs pay record prices at Burgundy auction However, local wine growers and experts have expressed their concern that China's nouveau riche are more interested in splashing out and speculating than appreciating great quality wine - which has led to price bubbles hitting Bordeaux's top grands crus. The Chateau of Gevrey-Chambertin, producing Napoleon Bonaparte's favourite red from one of Burgundy's most prized vineyards, was bought by Chinese gambling tycoon Louis Ng Chi Sing three months ago "After having made the market price of certain Bordeaux explode in an irrational manner, they're now logically interested in Burgundy and its niche wines," Laurent Gotti, a Burgundy specialist, told Le Parisien. They want everything that is the most expensive and are prepared to fork out incredible sums. He said that "not long ago, all they could talk about was Romanée-Conti" - the world's most expensive wine whose annual output of 6,000 bottles costs thousands of pounds each. Last year, a single jeroboam of 1999 Romanée-Conti sold for more than £47,000 at a Hong Kong auction. Today, a dozen domains have taken their fancy. But they don't really give a damn about what's inside the bottle," said Mr Gotti. The warning comes three months after a chateau producing Napoleon Bonaparte's favourite red from one of Burgundy's most prized vineyards was bought by Chinese gambling tycoon Louis Ng Chi Sing. If it's €60, they're not interested. If it's €250, they take six. But Louis-Fabrice Latour, the chairman of the union of Burgundy winemakers, said talk of an Asian invasion was exaggerated. In simple terms, [annual sales to] China represent less than one month of sales to the US.