Desired yeast for fruit wines?

[Morten]

What is the better yeast for berry wines? 71B or D-47?

 

[ChuckD]

Yes?

Seriously, it’s personal taste. I have seen a
Lot of recommendations for both. I have used both but not on a split batch so no direct comparisons. Both were good.

 

[BigDaveK]

Haven't tried D47 yet.
Have used 71B and 1118 for fruit wines and flower wines. I prefer 71B.
Did side by side test flower wine with the two - I thought 71B was by far better for flowers.

 

[ChuckD]

Second that on the EC1118.

I used 71b and D47 on apple wine and I’d have to say I liked the 71b better, but it was also a different mix of apples so I can’t say how much was the yeast vs the apples.

 

[Raptor99]

D47 is my go-to yeast for mead. I also used it for my first and only apple wine. D47 is sensitive to nutrient levels, so you need to make sure to get that right. The alcohol tolerance is 14%. More info here: Lalvin ICV-D47™ | Lallemand Brewing

For most berry wines, my favorite yeast is K1-V1116. It is supposed to be especially good for dark berries. I use it for my cranberry, blueberry, and elderberry wine. More info here: Lalvin ICV K1-V1116™ | Lallemand Brewing

One advantage of 71B is that is produces relatively high levels of glycerol, which adds body to your wine. It also will metabolize about 20-30% of the malic acid, which is helpful for high acid fruits that have malic acid. I used it for my cherry wine. I had some trouble getting the pH adjusted, and I suspect that it might be due to 71B consuming some of the malic acid. Lalvin 71B™ | Lallemand Brewing

I have pretty much stopped using EC-1118 because it tends to strip out the fruit flavors.

 

[winemaker81]

What is the better yeast for berry wines? 71B or D-47?

A better question is "why do you prefer the yeast you recommend?", as that will help you understand the qualities of each, which helps you make your decision.

The following is from the Yeast Strains Chart on WineMakerMag:

71B: A semi-dry white wine yeast that will enhance fruit flavors and add fruity esters. Can be used with whites, rosés, nouveaus, and concentrates.​

D-47: Leaves a wine very full bodied with enhanced mouthfeel. Accentuates varietal character and contributes ripe tropical fruit and citrus notes.​

Comments from folks that have used both indicate these descriptions are accurate. If you have enough fruit, make a batch with each, bulk age for 3 to 6 months, then bench test individually and blended together to see what works best.

And to muddy the waters further:

QA23: Portuguese isolate used for production of fresh, fruity, white wines. Will not give structure to a wine, but it excels at focusing the fruit either alone or as part of a blend.​

​

K1-V1116: A vigorous and competitive fermenter that, because of its neutral effect on varietal character, is very well suited to fruit wines as well as wines to be made from grapes.​

For dark berries, I'd consider a red wine yeast as well.

RC-212: Ideal for full bodied red wines. Emphasizes fruit and spice notes, accentuates character in red grapes.​

Presque Isle has a chart that doesn't include descriptions, but does indicate what wines each yeast is best for, along with temperature range and alcohol tolerance.

There are other charts available on the net -- I found these the most useful and bookmarked them.

 

[Rice_Guy]

one difference is that 71B is rated to metabolize up to 33% of the malic acid, if you are fermenting a high malic acid like apple you should get a milder / less acidic flavor

 

[Noontime]

Both are great, and as others have sad it's really personal preference. My suggestion is to split your batch and use both; I've done this a few times and it has been one of the most significant educations in winemaking.

 

[ChuckD]

one difference is that 71B is rated to metabolize up to 33% of the malic acid, if you are fermenting a high malic acid like apple you should get a milder / less acidic flavor

That may be why I liked that apple wine better. As I remember it was smoother.

 

[mikewatkins727]

RC-212