Wine giant Acker Merrall and Condit has posted impressive figures for the first half of 2012, with more than $46m in total auction sales and yet more success for the mighty Domaine de la Romanee Conti.

The total puts the world's leading wine auctioneer 32% ahead of its nearest competitor and shows a narrowing gap in sales between Asia and the US.

In 2011, the overall sum achieved in Acker's Asian sales came in at $68m, compared to just $41m in the US. In the first half of 2012 the gap has diminshed, with US sales totalling $21m against $25m abroad.

The resurgence of the US market has been attributed to the emergence of Chicago as an alternative market outside of New York, and the increasingly international clientele that the US attracts.

Domaine de la Romanee Conti wines represented less than 3% of all the lots in Acker's 2012 sales, yet brought 15.5% of the overall total. 1985 DRC assortments proved the most popular, achieving the title of top lot in three out of nine live auctions and averaging $45,000 per case. DRC wines also accounted for 27.5% of the top 10 lots in this first half.

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