Lloyd Webber wines snapped up at auction

HONG KONG, Jan. 22 (UPI) -- Wine auctioneers in Hong Kong say this weekend's sale of bottles from the collection of composer Andrew Lloyd Webber exceeded expectations.

Sotheby's told Britain's The Daily Telegraph buyers spent more than the $4.1 million they had expected, including the sale of a case of Chateau Petrus for $73,256.

The final tally from Saturday's sale at the Mandarin Oriental hotel was not released; however, wine sales have been booming in increasingly affluent China.

"I am very happy that Sotheby's is bringing part of my precious wine collection to Hong Kong, particularly given that many wine connoisseurs are now in Asia," Lloyd Webber said prior to the event.

The Daily Telegraph said Lloyd Webber, the composer of the scores for "Cats," "Phantom of the Opera" and other hit musicals, began collecting wine in his teens and auctioned off 18,000 bottles from his cellars in 2007.