Hi Gene,
I thought the problem with bread yeast was alcohol tolerance, I think
it's all the same species for wine, ale and bread; saccharomyces
cerevisiae. I not saying they don't contribute; I'm saying they are
one small piece of a bigger puzzle. I can use BDX on my Central
Valley Cabs or Merlot but they won't taste like a First Growth from
Bordeaux. I do agree they contribute, but I feel there are bigger
things to consider on a red than yeast strain. (I'm not an enologist
and this is Usenet so...)

I have had reds stick at a little below 0.5% RS lately, probably from
using RC 212 for example. I never had that on K1V. I'm drinking some
of those 5 year old K1V now and they are good; I don't think that
strain (or EC1118, my general purpose for whites) are
counterproductive.

Another important point is perspective; I am making ordinary table
wine from ordinary grapes or pailed juice. It's good, well made
wine. If I had access to great grapes I might consider yeast strains
more carefully too though.

Joe

> If yeasts don't contribute to the long term flavor of the wine, then why
> do the Barolo yeasts (like BRL97) and Bordeaux yeast (like BDX) make
> such different styles of wine than KV1116?
> Similarly, bread yeast used to ferment grapes imparts too strong a
> flavor to be chosen to make wine.
>
> Many of the flavorful/aromatic products of the yeast metabolic process
> are volatile, and those volatile products will dissipate over time.
> However, don't forget that there are low volatility metabolic products
> that linger.