DavidLlewellyn had a keen interest in horticulture from an early age, and later decided to pursue it as a career. He studied at Warrenstown Horticulture College, then gained experience in Germany before returning to Ireland to pursue a degree in Agricultural Science at University College Dublin. While in Germany in 1986 David was thrown in at the deep end, with www.weingut-haug.de, where he got an involuntary crash course in viticulture and oenology. This injected him with a passion for growing vines and making wine, and inspired him to investigate the potential for winegrowing in Ireland.
From 1989 David embarked on a journey of Irish viticulture, first experimenting with dozens of different grape varieties in his parents' garden, and finally reaching a point where he had the opportunity to plant his own vineyard.
Lusca Vineyard was established in 1999, and from these vines the first wine for sale was produced in 2005. From 2013 Davidconcentrated on red wine production. However, a test batch of sparkling wine made from some of the 2018 vintage was received so well by customers, that sparkling wine now accounts for more than three quarters of the wine produced at Lusca Vineyard. At just 150 cases total annual production, Lusca is a true micro-boutique winery. Production is labour intensive, and the challenges of the Irish climate must be overcome with skill and attention to detail, in order to produce serious, award-winning wines which regularly receive glowing reviews by both customers and wine writers alike. Lusca currently has 2 red wines on release, and 2 sparkling wines, with one or two others in the pipeline. All wine is made exclusively from grapes grown at Lusca Vineyard, where the vines are grown with maximum sustainability and minimal intervention in mind. Similarly, Lusca wines are created from those grapes, with minimal intervention, no addition of finings, and no filtration. David says he's on a never-ending learning curve, and regularly visits his winemaking friends in Germany where he has worked and visited over many years, such as weingut-haug.de, bioweingut-hothum.de, and weingut-dorst.de. This is an important part of feedback, learning, and striving for continued improvement, for David, and for the wines of Lusca Vineyard.
