A selection of the world's finest wines from the Government Hospitality Cellar will appear at Christie's on March 21 in London.

The self-funding idea for the cellar has failed previously, with the government spending more than it sold

The 39,000-bottle cellar serves the UK's government committee and their guests, dignitaries and royalty. Its wines are being sold in an effort to make the cellar self-funding.

It is hoped that the 54 bottles at auction, spread across six lots, will raise more than £50,000 ($75,421). Six bottles of Chateau Latour 1961 will lead bids at £20,000-30,000 ($30,096-45,144).

Christie's is also handling the sale of former Hong Kong chief secretary Henry Tang's wine collection on March 15-16.