"Joe Sallustio" > wrote in message
ups.com...
> That's pretty much how I feel too, it may matter on a very young
> drinking wine (as in 3 months) but I just can't see this mattering in
> winemaking. I know beer makers are very selective but you are drinking
> that in 3 weeks at times.
>
> Enjoy that barrel, I almost bought another this year.
>
> Joe
>
> > In my opinion, a lot of the hype about how the yeast affects the flavor
is
> > pure bunk. It IS very important, however, to select the wine yeast that
> > will work best for you at the temperature you will be fermenting. For
> > example, if you are fermenting outside with the temperature in the 40s
50's
> > then a Pasteur Red will not work very well. Look at charts for the
> > operating range of the various strains.
>

Paul and Joe make good points.
Other than personal opinion, there seems to be little reason to believe that
yeast strain makes significant contributions to the flavor of _aged_ wine.
Here is a quote from Principles and Practices of Winemaking, page 181.
"........until evidence is presented involving verified replicate
fermentations and stringent sensory analysis, any effect of wine yeast
strain on flavor is disputable."
Lum
Del Mar, California, USA
www.geocities.com/lumeisenman