# Lalvin yeast



## sdelli (Mar 12, 2013)

Why does it seem like any type of wine kit I get all comes with EC-1118 yeast? Merlot... Pinot Noir... Pinot Grigio ... If you research Scott Labs website there are much better choices to pick from!


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## Pumpkinman (Mar 12, 2013)

EC-1118 is a work horse yeast, it is the fool proof get it done yeast. The higher end kits are now coming with various yeast more suited for you wine.
I have used different wines in kits, but it is recommended against doing so as the kit wine are stabilized in a lab and this yeast has proved to be the least problematic (I would at least assume so). EC-1118 could ferment a brick...LOL

When making wine from Juice pails or fresh grapes you have many more options, you can chose a yeast based upon the characteristics that you want to bring out in your wine, but, you don't have the luxury of having a stabilized wine that you don't have to do much more than pitch a yeast, add meta and sorbate and rack a few times, you need to be very proactive, do a boat load of testing and maintenance throughout the wine making process.

Maybe Joeswine will chime in, he has a bunch of experience in tweaking wine kits and using various yeast in kit wines. I've tasted his wines...they rock!


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## hocke230 (Mar 13, 2013)

My eclipse Cab kit came with EC-118 and was thinking of possibly switching it up but guess that all depends.


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## Pumpkinman (Mar 13, 2013)

Both my Eclipse Zinf and the Eclipse Merlot came with yeast other than EC-1118 (the zinf came with red star that's the equivalent of EC-1118, I cannot recall with yeast the Merlot came with). With the Eclipse kits, I would probably venture and change it up, but it could end up a pretty costly error if you select the wrong one.


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## hocke230 (Mar 13, 2013)

That's odd - maybe someone whose done/started the Eclipse Cab can chime in. The other yeast I currently have is the Red Star Pasteur Red

http://winemakermag.com/guide/yeast

Any thoughts on that?


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## ibglowin (Mar 13, 2013)

A tried and true Terminator of yeast. One that you can walk away from and it will ferment to dry without incident or problems. Thats why!


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## jimmyjames23 (Mar 13, 2013)

ibglowin said:


> A tried a true Terminator of yeast. One that you can walk away from and it will ferment to dry without incident or problems. Thats why!



EC-1118.... The terminator of yeasts.


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## GreginND (Mar 13, 2013)

Yup! I have a blueberry skeeter pee going on 2 months and it is still bubbling away. That 1118 has been steady, though. It's being stored on the cool side so the fermentation is slow.


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## Polarhug (Mar 13, 2013)

Coming up next: Brick Wine! 

All kidding aside, I guess i've never used a single yeast on every wine. I've been using the Vintners Harvest Strains, great success. They have strains for fruit wine as well. Link for the brochure attached also.

http://www.absolutehomebrew.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/Vintners-harvest-wine-yeasts.pdf


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## Pumpkinman (Mar 13, 2013)

Vinters Harvest yeasts are just the same yeast strains that every other big company has had for years, repackages into pretty little packets, I err on the side of caution, although they may be amazing yeast, I'll wait to hear a bunch of reviews before I try them.


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## Polarhug (Mar 14, 2013)

True Pumpkinman, I was just putting up the chart for illustration purposes on the different types of yeasts for diff wines


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## Pumpkinman (Mar 14, 2013)

Sorry, I didn't mean to come across that harsh, my apologies, and thanks for sharing the info!


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