# Your Fav Red Wine Yeast(s)



## Bmd2k1 (May 18, 2021)

After years of making only hard cider I jumped into wine making last Oct via kits. My fav hard cider yeast is D47 for a number of reasons 

So far All my different Red wine kits have come with the "beast yeast" EC-1118 --- I know it "chews thru" anything & makes it easy for wine makers.

However, I've seen seasoned vintners swap it out for the likes of BM4x4, RC212 & others...

So I'm curious what experienced vintners Fav Red Wine yeast is for different wines & any insights for best utilization.

Cheers!


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## winemaker81 (May 18, 2021)

Presque Isle and WineMakerMag both have a yeast selection chart.






Choosing the Best Yeast for Your Wine | Winemaking 101 | Page 1 of 1


Which yeast strain should you use to create your home made wine? Presque Isle Wine Cellar's Yeast Selection Chart will make it easier for you to choose the yeast that will result in a wine with the characteristics you desire. Need Further guidance? We can provide you with our recommendation for...



www.piwine.com










Yeast Strains Chart - WineMakerMag.com


Five companies – Lallemand (Lalvin), Red Star, Vintner’s Harvest, White Labs, and Wyeast – produce the vast majority of wine-yeast used by home wine makers in North America. Here’s an up-to-date overview of the yeast strains these firms sell in small packages intended for home hobbyists, which...




winemakermag.com





I've used Red Star Premier Rouge the last couple of years with pleasing results. However, I encountered H2S in a 2nd run wine last fall (ran low on nutrients, won't make that mistake again). @CDrew recommended Renaissance Avante and Allegro to avoid that.

My reason for the Premier Rouge is the grapes I've purchased the last couple of years are high SG, ~1.100, so I needed a yeast that can handle high alcohol. This coming fall, if the grapes are high SG I'm going to dilute a bit with acidulated water to reduce the sugar.

If doing white, I used Lalvin QA23 for Sauvignon Blanc last fall. It was recommended by my LHBS as producing a fruiter wine. I'm happy with the result.


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## CDrew (May 18, 2021)

@winemaker81 beat me to the reply button but here is what I was working on...

You might consider the newer wine making yeasts from Renaissance that cannot produce H2S. Avante or Bravo for red wines, Allegro for white wines. Personally, I've used Avante extensively the last 3 years and 1 year with the Allegro. Both with highly satisfactory results. These yeasts have a number of advantages, being heat and alcohol tolerant, but the big advantage over standard yeasts is that they cannot produce H2S, which is the bane of the home wine maker. You can read about them here.

The disadvantage for the home wine maker is that these yeasts only come in 500gm bricks. There are several sources that repackage into smaller amounts. If you're doing 5 gallons at a time, then you only need 5-10 grams of yeast! But Lodi Wine Labs
will repackage into smaller quantities, and so do The Beverage People in Sonoma. (though not on their webite just now-I checked).

But honestly, most yeasts with adequate nutrition will do well. With conventional yeasts, I've had good results with D21, D254, and Premier Rouge, with D21 being a clear favorite. You will get lots of opinions and should experiment.

For your cider, Renaissance makes a yeast for that as well called Fresco. Just a thought for next apple season. LINK

Good luck!


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## winemaker81 (May 18, 2021)

@CDrew, I looked at the Lodi Wine Labs site, thanks for the tip. They sell in "carboy", "barrel", and 500 gm packages. Do you know what size barrel they are talking about? I'm expecting to need 8 yeast red wine packets in the fall. If it's 30 or 60 gallon, I'm good.


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## CDrew (May 18, 2021)

winemaker81 said:


> @CDrew, I looked at the Lodi Wine Labs site, thanks for the tip. They sell in "carboy", "barrel", and 500 gm packages. Do you know what size barrel they are talking about? I'm expecting to need 8 yeast red wine packets in the fall. If it's 30 or 60 gallon, I'm good.



Pretty sure "barrel" there is 60gm. But they are nice people and you can call and talk to a real and knowledgeable person. The first year I used Avante, they weighed out 100gm for me out of a 500gm brick. Since then, I just buy 500gm bricks in the fall and supply my local wine making friends as needed.


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## Cap Puncher (May 19, 2021)

I honestly like BM 4x4, but is is high nutrient demand and not very friendly for malolactic. I had good success with doing MT in one fermentor and D80 in the other. And blending together. 

I recently just got on the renaissance yeast train ( thanks CDrew and 4score). I currently have a cab sav and merlot going. I am using Avante and Bravo from renaissance for them (I did start with Biodiva). The ferment is nice and clean. Bravo is a high glycerol producer like (D254). I’m about halfway through the ferments and all fermentors smell great! I got them in 50 gram packages from Bosagrape. The we decent priced at about $12 Canadian and were an easy company to deal with.


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## Al Hatfield (May 19, 2021)

I made a few reds this year and I really like the earthiness from Lalvin D80. The other posts have me interested in trying the Avante and Bravo for next year.


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## heatherd (May 19, 2021)

Lallemand has a great chart of their yeasts: Wine Yeasts | Catalogue | Lallemand Wine


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## Bmd2k1 (May 19, 2021)

heatherd said:


> Lallemand has a great chart of their yeasts: Wine Yeasts | Catalogue | Lallemand Wine


Thanks... Familiar with it...but looking for some real world feedback from peeps in the trenches ✌

Cheers!


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## heatherd (May 19, 2021)

Bmd2k1 said:


> Thanks... Familiar with it...but looking for some real world feedback from peeps in the trenches ✌
> 
> Cheers!


I like RC212 for reds and ICV D47 for whites.


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## Bmd2k1 (May 19, 2021)

heatherd said:


> I like RC212 for reds and ICV D47 for whites.


Are ya adding nutrients for RC212? If so, When? 

Cheers!

PS -- D47 is my Fav hard cider yeast & just swapped out the provided ec1118 for D47...in a Zinfandel Rose´ I'm doing ✌

Cheers!


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## sour_grapes (May 19, 2021)

My fave for most red wines is D-254. The best wines I have made have all been made with that -- which _could_ simply be a coincidence!

I tend to use BM45 on Zin and Italian reds.


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## Rice_Guy (May 20, 2021)

_It is frustrating for a northern grower that the three mentioned charts do not rate malic acid metabolism  . _


Bmd2k1 said:


> Thanks... Familiar with it...but looking for some real world feedback from peeps in the trenches





winemaker81 said:


> Presque Isle and WineMakerMag both have a yeast selection chart.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


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## AaronSC (May 20, 2021)

CDrew said:


> @winemaker81 beat me to the reply button but here is what I was working on...
> 
> You might consider the newer wine making yeasts from Renaissance that cannot produce H2S. Avante or Bravo for red wines, Allegro for white wines. Personally, I've used Avante extensively the last 3 years and 1 year with the Allegro. Both with highly satisfactory results. These yeasts have a number of advantages, being heat and alcohol tolerant, but the big advantage over standard yeasts is that they cannot produce H2S, which is the bane of the home wine maker. You can read about them here.
> 
> ...


Did you use the D21 on white or red? I've only used it on reds so far.

-Aaron


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## CDrew (May 20, 2021)

AaronSC said:


> Did you use the D21 on white or red? I've only used it on reds so far.
> 
> -Aaron



Used on reds in previous years, and this year on a Rose.


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## Bmd2k1 (May 28, 2021)

Ordered some RC212 - gonna give it a whirl in an RJS Cru Chilean Triple varietal Red Blend ✌


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## Kitchen (May 29, 2021)

RC212 for normal fermentations. D254 for barrel fermentation and sur lee aging.


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## Bmd2k1 (Jun 3, 2021)

Kitchen said:


> RC212 for normal fermentations. D254 for barrel fermentation and sur lee aging.


Do you do any nutrient additions for your RC212 vino's? If so what/amt & when? Thanks!

Cheers!


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## sour_grapes (Jun 3, 2021)

Bmd2k1 said:


> Do you do any nutrient additions for your RC212 vino's? If so what/amt & when? Thanks!
> 
> Cheers!



RC-212 is known to produce sulfides (H2S) in low-nutrient musts. So, yes, if you use RC-212, make sure your nutrient regimen is up to snuff. Sorry, I cannot give you a guideline on amount, but hopefully someone more knowledgable than I am will do so.


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## Bmd2k1 (Jun 3, 2021)

sour_grapes said:


> RC-212 is known to produce sulfides (H2S) in low-nutrient musts. So, yes, if you use RC-212, make sure your nutrient regimen is up to snuff. Sorry, I cannot give you a guideline on amount, but hopefully someone more knowledgable than I am will do so.


So if it's a kit wine....would you expect nutrient additions?


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## sour_grapes (Jun 3, 2021)

Bmd2k1 said:


> So if it's a kit wine....would you expect nutrient additions?



No. IME, kit wines have sufficient nutrients to make it through unscathed.


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## JustJoe (Jun 4, 2021)

I bought 8g packets of Avante from Lodi labs last fall. I think they are still selling them now.


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## Steve Wargo (Jun 4, 2021)

Bmd2k1 said:


> Do you do any nutrient additions for your RC212 vino's? If so what/amt & when? Thanks!
> 
> Cheers!


 My experience says it's necessary to add nutrients when using RC212. I've used crushed grapes, placed the skins, and juice in the must. Some things added 1.) dead yeast for nutrient (food) to the must before adding RC212. 2.) one crushed B1 tablet, 3.) magnesium 4.) 1/2 DAP dose 1 day after fermentation begins 5.) then again 1/2 DAP dose 2-3 days later. Fermaid O might be a complete mixture, but I don't use it. Checking the must a couple of times a day helps. Stirring the must daily or more often. Any whiff of H2S, add another very low dose of DAP and the H2S odor usually goes away within a few hours. Sometimes I'm in reactive mode and eyeballing and adding things after fermentation is underway like a witches brew. No more additives after day five fermentation is underway. Sorry, don't have exact measurements, but you have an idea of the ingredients and timing.


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