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Home Resource Guide Yeast Strains Chart
Yeast Strains Chart

Four companies - Lallemand (Lalvin), Red Star, 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 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/Liquid Strain # Suggested Wine Styles Temp Range (°F) Alcohol Tolerance (% ABV)/Flocculation
Lalvin KIV-1116 Dry 1016-02 Cider, Stuck Fermentations 59-86° 18% Low
Lalvin EC-1118 Dry 1018-02 Champagne, Dry Meads, Late Harvest, Secondary-Stuck Ferment 45-95° 18% Low
Lalvin 71-B Dry 1022-02 Blush, Juice from Concentrates, Nouveau, Whites, Young Reds 59-86° 14% Medium
Lalvin ICV D-47 Dry 1080-02 Blush, Dry Whites, Sweet Mead 50-86° 14% Medium
Lalvin BOURGOVIN RC 212 Dry 1105-02 Aged Reds, Young Reds 59-86° 14% Low
Red Star Flor Sherry Dry Davis#519 Sherry (primary and secondary fermentation) 59-86° 10-20% Low
Red Star Montrachet Dry Davis#522 Chardonnay, Merlot, Syrah, Zinfandel 59-86° 13% Low
Red Star Pasteur Champagne Dry Davis#595 Cabernet, Cider, Dry Whites, Fruits, Meads, Port 59-86° 13-15% Medium-Low
Red Star Côte des Blancs Dry Davis#750 Blush, Chardonnay, Cider, Riesling, Sparkling Cuvée 64-86° 12-14% Low
Red Star Premier Curvée Dry Davis#796 Anything but residual-sugar wines 45-95° 18% Low
Red Star Pasteur Red Dry Davis#904 Berry and Cherry Wine, Cabernet, Gamay, Merlot, Pinot, Syrah, Zinfandel 64-86° 16% Low
White Labs Champagne Liquid WLP-715 Barleywine, Champagne, Cider, Dry Meads, Dry Whites 70-75° 17% Low
White Labs Avise Wine Yeast Liquid WLP-718 Chardonnay, Complex whites 60-90° 15% Low
White Labs Sweet Mead and Wine Liquid WLP-720 Blush, Cider, Fruit Wine, Gewürztraminer, Sweet Mead 70-75° 15% Low
White Labs Steinberg-Geisenheim Wine Yeast Liquid WLP-727 Gewürztraminer, Riesling 50-90° 14% Low
White Labs Chardonnay White Wine Liquid WLP-730 Blush, Chablis, Chenin Blanc, Sauvignon Blanc, Whites 50-90° 14% Low
White Labs French White Wine Yeast Liquid WLP-735 Muscadelle, Sauvignon Blanc, Sémillon 50-90° 16% Low
White Labs Merlot Red Wine Yeast Liquid WLP-740 Cabernet, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Sauvignon Blanc, Sémillon, Shiraz 60-90° 18% Low
White Labs Assmanshausen Wine Yeast Liquid WLP-749 Pinot Noir, Zinfandel 50-90° 16% Low
White Labs French Red Wine Yeast Liquid WLP-750 Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot 60-90° 17% Low
White Labs Cabernet Red Wine Yeast Liquid WLP-760 Cabernet, Chardonnay, Merlot, Sauvignon Blanc 60-90° 16% Low
White Labs Suremain Burgundy Wine Yeast Liquid WLP-770 Chardonnay, Pinot Blanc, Pinot Noir 60-90° 16% Low
White Labs English Cider Liquid WLP-775 Cider 68-75° 14% Medium
Wyeast Pasteur Champagne Liquid 4021 Activator Dry Whites, Gewürztraminer, Pinot Blanc, Sauvignon Blanc, Spumante 55-75° 17% Medium
Wyeast Chateau Red Liquid 4028 Activator Burgundy, Cabernet, Gamay, Pinot Noir, Red Varietals, Rhone, Zinfandel 55-90° 14% Medium
Wyeast Sake #9 Liquid 4134 Activator Dai Gingo, Fruits, Nigori, Plum Wine, Rice Beer, Sake 60-75° 16% Low
Wyeast Sweet Mead Liquid 4184 Activator Cherry, Cider, Cyser, Fruit Wine, Ginger Ale, Peach, Raspberry 60-75° 11% Medium
Wyeast Chablis Liquid 4242 Activator Chablis, Chardonnay, Chenin Blanc, Fruity Whites, Gewürztraminer, Pinot Gris 55-75° 12-13% Medium
Wyeast Chianti Liquid 4244 Activator Barbera, Barberesco, Barolo, Chianti, Nebbiolo, Sangiovese 55-75° 14% Medium
Wyeast Bordeaux Liquid 4267 Activator Fr. Cabernet, Merlot, Petit Syrah, Pinot Noir, Riojo, Valdepeñas 55-90° 14% Medium
Wyeast Eau de Vie Liquid 4347 Activator Barleywine, Cordials, Eau de Vie, Grappa, Single Malts 65-80° 21% Low
Wyeast Dry Mead Liquid 4632 Activator Cyser, Dry Cider, Fruit Mead, Herbal Mead, Meads 55-75° 18% Low
Wyeast Cider Liquid 4766 Activator Cider 60-75° 12% Low
Wyeast Portwine Liquid 4767 Activator add Brandy for classic Port, Dry Reds, Dry Whites 60-90° 14% Medium
Wyeast Rudesheimer Liquid 4783 Activator Fruity Ciders, Ice Wine, Rhine Wines, Riesling 55-75° 12-13% Medium
Wyeast Zinfandel Liquid 4946 Activator Pinot Noir, Syrah or any high sugar must, Zinfandel 60-85° 18% Medium

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