Wisconsin Vintners Association

Wisconsin Vintners Association

(Home Wine Makers Club)

Four companies - Lallemand (Lalvin), Red Star, White Labs and Wyeast - produce the vast majority of wine-yeast strains used by home winemakers in North America. Here's an overview of the yeast strains these firms sell in small packages intended for home hobbyists, which is generally five grams for dry yeast packets and 35 to 175 ml for liquid vials or packets. In either format, this is the right amount to inoculate a five-gallon batch. There are other companies and other strains, but these are the most common; you can find them at most home winemaking supply stores.

Company	Yeast Name	Dry or Liquid	Strain Number	Suggested Wine Styles	Temp Range (°F)	Alcohol Tolerance Level (%)	Flocculation	Description
Lalvin	ICV D-47	Dry	1080-02	Dry White, Blush, Sweet Mead	50-86°	14%	Medium	Contributes mouthfeel in Chard and other whites, sweet mead
Lalvin	BOURGOVIN RC 212	Dry	1105-02	Young Reds, Aged Reds	59-86°	14%	Low	Enhances varietal and spicy notes in reds, maintains color stability
Lalvin	71-B	Dry	1022-02	Blush, Whites, Nouveau, Young Reds, Juice from Concentrates	59-86°	14%	Medium	Contributes tropical-fruit esters, softens acidity perception
Lalvin	KIV-1116	Dry	1016-02	Stuck Fermentations, Cider	59-86°	16%	Low	Expresses freshness of white varieties
Lalvin	EC-1118	Dry	1018-02	Champagne, Dry Meads, Secondary-Stuck Ferment, Late Harvest	45-95°	18%	Low	Strong fermenter, low foam, neutral sensory impact
Red Star	Pasteur Red	Dry	Davis#904	Cabernet, Syrah, Pinot, Merlot, Gamay, Zin, Berry and Cherry Wine	64-86°	16%	Low	Full-bodied red wines, fruit flavors, complex aromas
Red Star	Montrachet	Dry	Davis#522	Merlot, Chard, Zinfandel, Syrah	59-86°	13%	Low	Full-bodied intense-color red and white wines
Red Star	Cote des Blancs	Dry	Davis#750	Blush Wines, Sparkling Cuvée, Riesling, Chard, Cider	64-86°	12-14%	Low	Slow fermenter, builds flavor and aroma, temperature sensitive
Red Star	Pasteur Champagne	Dry	Davis#595	Dry White, Cabernet, Port, Cider, Mead, Fruits	59-86°	13-15%	Medium-Low	White and some red, no tirage, restarts stuck fermentation
Red Star	Premier Cuvée	Dry	Davis#796	Anything but residual-sugar wines	45-95°	18%	Low	Red, white and sparkling, restarts stuck fermentation
Red Star	Flor Sherry	Dry	Davis#519	Sherry (primary and secondary fermentation)	59-86°	18-20%	Low	Good aldehyde production in secondary fermentation
White Labs	Champagne	Liquid	WLP-715	Champagne, Cider, Dry Whites, Dry Meads, Barleywines	70-75°	17%	Low	A classic champagne yeast, neutral character
White Labs	Sweet Mead and Wine	Liquid	WLP-720	Sweet Mead, Blush Wines, Cider, Fruit Wine, Gewürz, Riesling	70-75°	15%	Low	Slightly fruity, leaves some residual sweetness
White Labs	English Cider	Liquid	WLP-775	Cider	68-75°	14%	Medium	Ferments dry but retains flavor from apples
White Labs	Chardonnay White Wine	Liquid	WLP-730	White and Blush, Chablis, Chenin and Sauvignon Blanc	50-90°	14%	Low	Slight ester, low sulfur dioxide, enhances varietal character
White Labs	Merlot Red Wine Yeast	Liquid	WLP-740	Cabernet, Shiraz, Pinot Noir, Chard, Sauv. Blanc and Sémillon	60-90°	18%	Low	Neutral, low fused alcohol production, ferments to dryness
White Labs	Cabernet Red Wine Yeast	Liquid	WLP-760	Cabernet, Merlot, Chard and Sauvignon Blanc	60-90°	16%	Low	Moderate speed, full-bodied red wines, complementing esters
Wyeast	Pasteur Champagne	Liquid	3021 XL	Dry Whites, Spumante, Sauv. Blanc, Pinot Blanc, Gewürz	55-75°	17%	Medium-Low	Low foaming, barrel fermentation, ideal champagne base
Wyeast	Dry Mead	Liquid	3632 XL	Mead, Fruit Mead, Herbal Mead, Dry Cider, Cysers	55-75°	18%	Low-Medium	Award winning, low foaming, minimal sulfur production
Wyeast	Sweet Mead	Liquid	3184 XL	Cider, Cyser, Fruit Wine, Ginger Ale, Cherry, Raspberry, Peach	60-75°	11%	Low-Medium	Rich fruity profile, complements fruit mead fermentation
Wyeast	Sake #9	Liquid	3134 XL	Sake, Nigori, Dai Gingo, Fruit, Plum Wine, Rice Beer	60-75°	16%	Low-Medium	Full-bodied profile, true Sake character, used for Jius
Wyeast	Chablis	Liquid	3242 XL	Fruity Whites, Chard, Chablis, Gewürz, Chenin Blanc, Pinot Gris	55-75°	12-13%	High	Bready, vanilla notes, allows fruit character to dominate
Wyeast	Rudisheimer	Liquid	3783 XL	Rhine Wines, Fruity Ciders, Riesling, Ice Wine	55-75°	12-13%	Medium	Rich flavor, creamy, fruity profile, dry finish, hint of Riesling
Wyeast	Assmannhausen	Liquid	3277 XL	Red German Wine, Riesling, Red Varietals, Merlot, Red French-Am	60-90°	12-14%	Medium-High	German red wine yeast, ferments slower, cold tolerant
Wyeast	Pasteur Red	Liquid	3028 XL	Cabernet, Red Varietals, Gamay, Zin, Rhone, Burgundy, Pinot Noir	55-90°	14%	Medium-High	Classic German, full body, depth, dry smoky characteristics
Wyeast	Bordeaux	Liquid	3267 XL	Fr. Cabernet, Pinot Noir, Merlot, Petit Syrah,Rioja, Valdepeñas	55-90°	14%	Low-Medium	Smooth complex profile, slightly vinuous, jammy, rich
Wyeast	Eau de Vie	Liquid	3347 XL	Cordials, Grappa, Barleywine, Eau de Vie, Single Malts	65-80°	21%	Low	Produces clean, dry profile, low ester
Wyeast	Cider	Liquid	3766 XL	Cider	60-75°	12%	High	Crisp dry fermenting yeast for fruits and fermentables
Wyeast	Portwine	Liquid	3767 XL	Dry Red and White Wine, add Brandy for classic Port	60-90°	14%	Low-Medium	Mild fruit profile, balanced depth and complexity, dry finish
Wyeast	Steinberg	Liquid	3237 XL	Riesling, Sylvaner, Moselle, Liebfraumilch	55-75°	12-13%	Medium-High	Produces full body, dry smoky character, drier than #3783

ABOUT THE WISCONSIN VINTNERS

ASSOCIATION

The Wisconsin Vintners Association of Milwaukee was organized in 1970. Membership is open to anyone over 21 years old who has an interest in wine making. Our mission is educating our members in the many styles of wine and techniques while promoting the responsible use of alcohol. Regular monthly meetings are held the second Wednesday of each month at Cliffords Supper Club, 10418 West Forest Home Ave. Hales Corners, WI. at 7:30PM. Usually we feature a speaker and offer tasting and evaluation of different varieties of wines.

To join our organization you can stop by at any monthly meeting or send an email to:

support@wihomewinemakers.com