Sir Alex Ferguson, the ex-Manchester United manager, has netted £2.3 million by auctioning off just a part of his wine collection recently. In total, 257 lots were offered and 229 were sold in the first of three auctions.

Two more sales will take place in London next month and are expected to raise a total of more than £3 million, auction house Christie’s said.

At the recent Hong Kong auction the highlights were a six-litre Methuselah of Domaine de la Romanée-Conti 1997, which sold for £94,815 and six bottles of Romanée-Conti Grand Cru 1999, which were sold with a signed Manchester United shirt from their victorious 1999 Champions League final.

Christie’s head of wine said the sale was a success for the “very strong combination of bidding from both wine lovers and fans of Sir Alex.

“While Sir Alex’s reputation and standing in football is renowned the world over, we are thrilled at Christie’s to be able to showcase his exceptional taste in fine wine. It is remarkable to see that Sir Alex’s talent of picking quality players for the pitch also extends to picking sensational wines.”

He said: “I am pleased to be working with Christie’s to share one of my life’s pleasures. My interest in wine began during a scouting trip in France and, over time, my enjoyment of discovery and collecting grew.

The importance of collecting wine was that it served as a distraction and gave me a balance in my life that helped me in dealing with the intensity and demands required of me as the manager of Manchester United”.