Other Preferred yeast for Malbec?

[BernardSmith]

I very rarely make wines from kits but I have acquired a kit to make Malbec. Is there a preferred yeast for this wine? RC 212 or 71B?
Thanks.

 

[winemaker81]

It depends on what you want. 71B is likely to make a fruitier style, while RC-212 is great for making a more robust, heavy wine. Red Star Pasteur Red is also a good choice, more-or-less in between the two.

If it were me, I'd use RC-212, with the understanding that it's a high nutrient yeast so I would add 50% more nutrient than the package states.

Renaissance Avante is another good choice, but it's not available in 5g packets, so you probably won't have it. Your two mentioned strains are good choices.

 

[Bmd2k1]

It depends on what you want. 71B is likely to make a fruitier style, while RC-212 is great for making a more robust, heavy wine. Red Star Pasteur Red is also a good choice, more-or-less in between the two.

If it were me, I'd use RC-212, with the understanding that it's a high nutrient yeast so I would add 50% more nutrient than the package states.

Renaissance Avante is another good choice, but it's not available in 5g packets, so you probably won't have it. Your two mentioned strains are good choices.

2nd using Avante

 

[BernardSmith]

Many thanks, Winemaker81. I was indeed looking to make a "fruitier" rather than a more robust wine with this kit but last year I made a Gamay with RC 212 and I loved the result. However, your confirmation that either 71B or RC 212 are reasonable choices given my lack of access to more nuanced yeasts is very helpful. I certainly feel less anxious about which yeast to use, though. I wonder whether the "best" choice is to avoid making a choice and split the batch into two, pitching 71B into one and RC 212 into the other...

 

[winemaker81]

Many thanks, Winemaker81. I was indeed looking to make a "fruitier" rather than a more robust wine with this kit but last year I made a Gamay with RC 212 and I loved the result. However, your confirmation that either 71B or RC 212 are reasonable choices given my lack of access to more nuanced yeasts is very helpful. I certainly feel less anxious about which yeast to use, though. I wonder whether the "best" choice is to avoid making a choice and split the batch into two, pitching 71B into one and RC 212 into the other...

Split the batch.

My 2024 wines are mostly split batches. I used Renaissance Avante and Bravo for the reds, and 71B and QA23 for half the whites.

All strains mentioned so far are good choices. You can't make a bad decision.

Save a couple of bottles from each batch for later comparison. Having an excuse for wine tasting is always a good thing!!