Pictured: L-R: Lusca Sparkling Ruby Wine, JP McMahon, Owner
and Chef Patron of Aniar, and David Llewellyn, Winemaker at Lusca Wines
Look out for a brand- new Irish sparkling wine, produced by one of Ireland’s best known wine producers, David Llewellyn of Lusca Wines. The exclusive wine has been created to celebrate the 15th anniversary of one of Galway’s best-known restaurants Aniar. With a limited production of 1,000 bottles Lusca Sparkling Ruby is now available to buy. This collaboration cements Anair’s long-standing relationship with Lusca and highlights their shared interest in quality Irish produce.
Speaking about the collaboration David Llewellyn said “We decided to create a red sparkling wine; and blended wines from the 2023 vintage made from the Rondo grape with a field blend from the 2024 vintage. The tasting process began in January 2026, as David created six different test blends from both vintages. “I bottle fermented them, riddled and disgorged them, and then JP came to the winery, where we tasted and evaluated the various blends. We settled on a particular cuvée that is 50% Rondo from the 2023 vintage and 50% from a 2024 field blend. All of the wine was produced from grapes grown at Lusca Vineyard in North County Dublin. A limited batch of 1,000 bottles was filled in March 2026 and aged on its lees in bottles for four months. The first bottles were disgorged in July 2026. Subsequent charges will have longer bottle ageing before disgorgement, allowing each release to evolve and develop its own distinctive character. Because of the softness of this wine due to the malolactic fermentation, and because of its fruitiness, we decided to do zero dosage with this first charge. So it is a Brut Zero, or Brut Nature.”
Owner and Chef Patron of Aniar JP McMahon said: “I’ve always been passionate about working with great Irish producers, so collaborating with David on something completely new felt really special. We’ve had David’s wines in Aniar for the past few years, so it felt fitting that we would work together to create something for such a special year at Aniar. We invited friends and family to taste the wine during our birthday celebrations in July, and the feedback was that it is a really unique expression of Irish wine. I look forward to pairing it with our tasting menu in Aniar.”
The limited-edition Aniar / Lusca Wines sparkling red wine are now available in Aniar and can also be purchased from the wine website, Wine Online while stocks last.
Follow Aniar at @aniargalway and JP McMahon at @mistereatgalway.
Aniar is located at 53 Dominick Street, Lower, Galway.