Four companies – Lallemand (Lalvin), Red Star, White Labs, and Wyeast – produce the vast majority of wine-yeast used by home mead 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 Mead/Cider 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 High ABV meads, Dry meads, 45-95° 18% Low
Lalvin 71-B Dry 1022-02 59-86° 14% Medium
Lalvin ICV D-47 Dry 1080-02 Sweet Mead 50-86° 14% Medium
Lalvin BOURGOVIN RC 212 Dry 1105-02 59-86° 14% Low
Red Star Flor Sherry Dry Davis#519 59-86° 10-20% Low
Red Star Montrachet Dry Davis#522 59-86° 13% Low
Red Star Pasteur Champagne Dry Davis#595 59-86° 13-15% Medium-Low
Red Star C Dry Davis#750 64-86° 12-14% Low
Red Star Premier Curv Dry Davis#796 45-95° 18% Low
Red Star Pasteur Red Dry Davis#904 64-86° 16% Low
Vintner’s Harvest Saccharomyces Cerevisiae Dry AW4 68-77° 14.5%
Vintner’s Harvest Saccharomyces Cerevisiae Dry BV7 59-86° 13% Low
Vintner’s Harvest Saccharomyces Bayanus Dry CL23 46-75° 18% High
Vintner’s Harvest Saccharomyces Cerevisiae Dry CR51 72-86° 13.5%
Vintner’s Harvest Saccharomyces Cerevisiae Dry CY17 72-78° 15% Medium
Vintner’s Harvest Saccharomyces Cerevisiae Dry MA33 64-80° 14%
Vintner’s Harvest Saccharomyces Cerevisiae Dry R56 72-86° 13.5%
Vintner’s Harvest Saccharomyces Bayanus Dry SN9 68-75° 18%
Vintner’s Harvest Saccharomyces Cerevisiae Dry VR21 68-75° 15%
White Labs Champagne Liquid WLP-715 Dry mead 70-75° 17% Low
White Labs Avise Wine Yeast Liquid WLP-718 60-90° 15% Low
White Labs Sweet Mead and Wine Liquid WLP-720 Sweet mead 70-75° 15% Low
White Labs Steinberg-Geisenheim Wine Yeast Liquid WLP-727 50-90° 14% Low
White Labs Chardonnay White Wine Liquid WLP-730 50-90° 14% Low
White Labs French White Wine Yeast Liquid WLP-735 50-90° 16% Low
White Labs Merlot Red Wine Yeast Liquid WLP-740 60-90° 18% Low
White Labs Assmanshausen Wine Yeast Liquid WLP-749 50-90° 16% Low
White Labs French Red Wine Yeast Liquid WLP-750 60-90° 17% Low
White Labs Cabernet Red Wine Yeast Liquid WLP-760 60-90° 16% Low
White Labs Suremain Burgundy Wine Yeast Liquid WLP-770 60-90° 16% Low
White Labs English Cider Liquid WLP-775 Cider 68-75° 14% Medium
Wyeast Pasteur Champagne Liquid 4021 Activator 55-75° 17% Medium
Wyeast Chateau Red Liquid 4028 Activator 55-90° 14% Medium
Wyeast Sake #9 Liquid 4134 Activator 60-75° 16% Low
Wyeast Sweet Mead Liquid 4184 Activator Cyser, Sweet Melomels 60-75° 11% Medium
Wyeast Chablis Liquid 4242 Activator 55-75° 12-13% Medium
Wyeast Chianti Liquid 4244 Activator 55-75° 14% Medium
Wyeast Bordeaux Liquid 4267 Activator 55-90° 14% Medium
Wyeast Eau de Vie Liquid 4347 Activator 65-80° 21% Low
Wyeast Dry Mead Liquid 4632 Activator Cyser, Dry Cider, Melomel, Metheglyn, (Dry style) 55-75° 18% Low
Wyeast Cider Liquid 4766 Activator Cider 60-75° 12% Low
Wyeast Portwine Liquid 4767 Activator 60-90° 14% Medium
Wyeast Rudesheimer Liquid 4783 Activator 55-75° 12-13% Medium
Wyeast Zinfandel Liquid 4946 Activator 60-85° 18% Medium

 

Vicky Rowe
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