Hitler wine fetches £3,995 - but don't mention its taste

Discovered in a garage, the red "Fuhrerwein' - valued at £500 to £800 - attracted worldwide interest when it went under the hammer in Plymouth.

Dating back to 1943, the bottle was from a collection understood to have been given to Hitler's officers during the Second World War to celebrate his birthday and the label bears a picture of the dictator, dressed in a suit.

There is also a smaller label showing an eagle above a swastika, the official symbol of Nazi Germany.

But although the bottle is in reasonably good condition, the wine - a 12 per cent schwarzer tafelwein - is likely to be undrinkable.

The auction ended with the final bid at £3,400. The figure of £3,995 includes the buyer's premium.

A spokeswoman for Plymouth Auction Rooms said bidding for the bottle was 'vigorous' in the room and over six phone lines. The successful phone bid came from an unnamed collector.

Before the sale, auctioneer Paul Keen said: "I have never seen or heard about anything like this in my 20 years as an auctioneer. It is the sort of thing which should appeal to collectors of Nazi wartime memorabilia."