Your preferred yeast for raspberry wine?

[sremick]

So I am being gifted enough frozen raspberries for a batch of wine. Since this is a one-off, there won't be rounds for experimenting so I'd like to do as best as I can the first time around. What would your choice be for a yeast to use? My research has turned up preferences all over the place, so I'm having analysis paralysis.

Also I hear that raspberry can be very acidic, so I'd also be interested in your preferred way to move pH significant amounts and target pH for raspberry.

Thanks!

 

[Scooter68]

In terms of yeast I have used EC-1118 as a standard for fruit wines now - that's all I make. BUT according to one chart K1-V1116 appears to be the safest choice if you are concerned about flavor changes.

As to acidity - Just measure it. It can vary from season to season so measuring is the only way to find out what you really have. IF it's way to acidic add calcium carbonate in small increments. Most wine will ferment just fine if the must is a little too acidic but you can do more harm by moving it too much so for me - if my wine must is between 3.6 and 3.25 I'd probably just go ahead with the ferment.

I've done 1 Wild Black Raspberry wine that turned out EXCELLENT - have not been able to do it again because we just haven't had enough of them growing on the place lately. That was the first wine I made that had serious 'Legs' And it stained the glass carboy requiring soaking and cleaning very thoroughly. Only 4 1/2 lbs of berries in that one gallon batch.
I've got a batch of Red Raspberry wine (3 gallon) that I started in December that surprised me. It was a 96 oz can of Vintner's Harvest wine base that tasted very weak at first but after it fermented...... WOW. Waiting for that to age enough to bottle some time this fall at the earliest.

 

[sremick]

I'm starting to lean towards Côte des Blancs since apparently it leaves a bit of sugar which would be preferable and might save me having to backsweeten after.

I won't take possession of the raspberries (which are frozen) until I'm ready with my yeast. So I can test its acid then. I do have a good stock of potassium bicarbonate on hand.

 

[Scooter68]

Reading the makers data sheet is says that it can leave residual sugar if you lower the temperature. Frankly I prefer to work toward a known stopping point - using basic SG calculations rather than counting on a yeast to finish with residual sugar of an unknown amount. Since there is no guarantee that the yeast will in fact stop before consuming all the available sugar - unless you overload it with sugar. I've also had yeasts stop short of finishing fermentation because apparently conditions did not allow the yeast to survive and finish.

 

[Vinobeau]

Montrachet.

 

[Scooter68]

You mean : Red Star Premier Classique Wine Yeast (formerly Montrachet) ?

That yeast has a weakness in that it will produce H2S if conditions go awry - like stressing the yeast with too little or too much nutrients and it will produce hydrogen sulfide gas in the presence of excess sulfur compounds.

I stopped using it after a couple of bouts with H2S in my wine batches. No more problems since I switched to either K1-1116 and EC-1118

 

[wpt-me]

I used 71b-1122 on a raspberry tea wine. Jury still out on it. Just bottled it.

Bill

 

[BABRU]

I have been making black raspberry wine for 8 years and all are excellent after aging 2 or more years. This is a favorite of my dark red wine loving friends. I have always used LALVIN RC-212 yeast with 6 tsp of yeast nutrient. I make 6 gallon batches putting 24 pounds of frozen berries in a berry bag, killing any wild yeast as the first step. I don’t check acid of fruit but always add 3 tsp of acid blend so I don’t think high acid of fruit is of any concern. I also add 3/4 tsp of wine tannin for good measure. I go kinda heavy of sugar, about 13.5 pounds per batch. And I add 3 tsp of pectic enzyme.
When the first batch is finished fermenting I start another using the spent berries and adding about 10-12 pounds of new frozen berries to the leftover ones. The second batch ends up somewhat lighter color but it still is very dark and the resulting wine is equal or maybe better than the first batch. Probably no need to add yeast to second batch because ferment takes right off from yeast in spent berries, but I add a new packet anyway; $1 of insurance I guess.

 

[Vinobeau]

That yeast has a weakness in that it will produce H2S if conditions go awry - like stressing the yeast with too little or too much nutrients and it will produce hydrogen sulfide gas in the presence of excess sulfur compounds.

I guess that I haven't bought it since they changed the name! I've never had a problem with it in 45 years, but I don't make any grape wines that have been sprayed with sulfer.