Lalvin EC-1118 Yeast
Lalvin EC-1118 yeast is considered one of the best all round yeast strains. It is a wide temperature range that it can work within, and a high tolerance for alcohol – up to 18% by volume.
With very compact lees, it makes for racking wine off the lees a much easier job. Due to its superb abilities to withstand a wide range of conditions, it is often the yeast strain of choice that comes with commercial wine kits.
One disadvantage of EC-118 is the fact that under some circumstances, it can produce a high volume of SO2 gas. When malolactic acid fermentation is desired, the presence of SO2 can be detrimental.
Every home winemaker should have extra packages of EC-1118 on hand. It is the yeast of choice for restarting stuck fermentations.
It is classified as a Saccharomyces cerevisiae bayanus
Related:
Sluggish, Not Quite Stuck, Fermentation
I’ve Officially Proclaimed It Stuck
It’s Now Unstuck