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The first half of the year has been an encouraging one for Adam's Wine & Spirits department. Across three auctions we've seen strong results, welcomed new buyers alongside familiar faces, and had the chance to offer some exceptional collections. A few themes - and one particularly persistent name - stood out.
The Numbers So Far
Across February, March and May, we offered 1,343 lots and sold 1,297 - a 96.6% sell-through rate, the strongest run in the department's recent history. Nearly two-thirds hammered at or above estimate, including one lot in six that beat its high estimate outright.
Fine Bordeaux remains the backbone of the market, but Italian and Burgundian wines both had standout moments this year, alongside strong showings from Rhône, Champagne and Irish whiskey. Highlights included a six-bottle lot of Masseto Toscana IGT 2001, a magnum of Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Grands Échezeaux 1983, a bottle of Château Latour 1961, a run of E. Guigal's celebrated "La La" Côte Rôties, and a Midleton 20th Anniversary Limited Edition that matched the very top of the wine market.
One name threaded through all three sales: Château Lynch-Bages, sold across 82 lots and accounting for over a fifth of all Bordeaux sales this year - quietly the most sought-after name in the room, sale after sale. Dom Pérignon told a similar story in Champagne (nearly a quarter of that category), as did Midleton Very Rare in spirits.
Single-Vendor Spotlight: The Dublin Cellar of a French Collector
Our February auction was devoted entirely to one remarkable collection - a Dublin cellar assembled over decades around Barolo, Barbaresco and Burgundy. It achieved a 100% clearance rate across 450 lots, led by a Giacomo Conterno Monfortino and a run of Cappellano Otin Fiorin.
More than the prices achieved, the sale showed the appeal of a collection with a clear identity - a catalogue buyers genuinely enjoy exploring.
A First for Adam's: Pre-Auction Tasting
This spring also brought another first: a pre-auction tasting, giving buyers the chance to taste highlights of the forthcoming sale before bidding, and sparking plenty of conversation along the way. It's something we look forward to building on as the department grows.
Looking Ahead
As we begin preparing our September and December auctions, we're looking forward once again to the collections and stories they'll bring - whether a few carefully stored cases or a cellar built patiently over decades, with a Lynch-Bages or two of its own.
If you're considering selling wine, spirits or an entire cellar, we'd be delighted to arrange a confidential, complimentary valuation.
To discuss selling Fine Wine, Champagne, Port, Spirits, or Vintage Cigars in future sales, please contact:
Conor Barry | conor@adams.ie
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"I should declare my hand. I have a weakness for pictures that punch above their physical weight, and for artists who have been quietly underrated for too long. This pair is both. They are intimate enough to live with at close quarters and serious enough to repay any amount of looking. If the market has lately shown signs of catching up with eighteenth-century Irish painting and I think it has, these two small panels feel, to me, like exactly the sort of thing that will look obvious in twenty years’ time."
Adam’s is honoured to present works from the collection of Lord Rossmore in the upcoming Country House Collections auction at Howth Castle on 28th April. It is seldom that an influential Irish family collection that has survived through the generations comes to the open market.
Works Sold at Adam’s Now in the Irish National Collection
A great opportunity to purchase both established and lesser-known artist’s work at an accessible price point, the Online Picture Auction is the first of many sales to be hosted at Adam’s in 2026. It is perfect for those looking to start a collection and the discerning collector alike.
Through this article, let our expert Adam Pearson guiding you to the (re)discovery of the once established Irish painter Richard O’Neill.
Buying at Auction and the Role of Antiques in a Modern Home
Important Irish Art Auction Highlights
Oliver Dowling Collection by Aidan Dunne
2024 is a year in which Adam’s wants to recognise the key role buying antique furniture and furnishings at auction contributes greatly to the sustainable initiative. In 2019 the Environmental Protection Agency reported stark figures that each year in Ireland 1.2 million reusable bulky items, primarily furniture goes into landfill. Similar to the problem of ‘fast fashion’, the constant production and consumption of new items is leading to rapidly growing waste problem. We want to acknowledge those who are already buying second hand or antique furniture at auction and to encourage new buyers by highlighting the benefits of acquiring affordable, well-made quality items that are built to last.
Irish author, recipe creator and lifestyle influencer, Indy Parsons, selects her favourite pieces from our upcoming Fine Jewellery & Watches auction
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Cork-born Irish actress, Sarah Greene, selects her favourite pieces from our upcoming Fine Jewellery & Watches auction
Yvonne Aupicq had met Orpen, we understand, while working as a nurse during the war. He had been admitted to hospital with a suspected case of scabies which ended up being a far more serious case of blood poisoning as he recounts in his wartime memoir ‘An Onlooker in France’. Their relationship continued after 1918 when Orpen was appointed as the official artist to The Paris Peace Conference. They relocated to capital and over the following decade he painted her numerous times, often nude as in Amiens 1914, or The Rape and Nude Girl Reading (1921). Working with her as his model during these early years after the war allowed Orpen an opportunity to re-fuel his creativity.
Editor-in-Chief of IMAGE Publications, Lizzie Gore-Grimes, selects her favourite pieces from our upcoming Fine Jewellery & Watches auction
Our upcoming Fine Jewellery & Watches auction on September 13th features a prime example of Van Cleef & Arpel's renowned 'Mystery Setting'
Our June auction offers a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to acquire one of the great masterpieces of Irish art and icons of Dublin’s history.
James Adam & Sons Ltd, Fine Art Auctioneers and Valuers, 26 St. Stephen’s Green, Dublin 2,
D02 X665, Ireland
