Frequently Asked Questions

Hydrogen sulfide (H₂S) is a colorless, gaseous chemical compound with the unpleasant foul odor of rotten eggs.

Hydrogen sulfide is a natural waste product of traditional yeast fermentation that always occurs in some quantity, and is one of the most common sensory defect problems in winemaking. Even below detectable sensory threshold levels, H₂S negatively impacts wine quality by masking its full flavor. Unless promptly extracted from wine, hydrogen sulfide reacts with other wine materials and form off-odors and off-flavors, which can be difficult and costly to remove. Remediation of hydrogen sulfide costs the winemaker time and money.

Developed through classical natural breeding, Renaissance yeasts do not produce hydrogen sulfide during fermentation, but are otherwise identical to comparable traditional wine yeasts. Renaissance yeasts are a preventative solution to the hydrogen sulfide problem in winemaking.

Classical breeding refers to the age-old tradition of hand-developing yeast strains (or, for that matter, any animal or plant) through mating and selecting for pre-existing desired traits, without the use of recombinant DNA technology.

No. Renaissance yeasts have been developed by classical natural breeding in which the H₂S-preventing trait has been bred into traditional quality wine yeasts.

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During wine fermentation, different strains of yeast compete in the same fermenting must. Dominance takes place when one strain (dominant strain) outcompetes all the others.

Renaissance yeast are manufactured to the highest standard. When used according to instructions, yeast viability is in excess of 10 billion live cells per gram dry weight.

The shelf life is clearly indicated on the product packaging and is four years from the date of manufacture.

Due to the risks of contamination by other yeasts and the difficulties with confirming slurry yeast cell counts, re-use is not recommended as the risk of failure and associated cost is increased and far outweighs the cost of new yeast.

Our products come in 500g and 10kg packages. We also have 8g sample sachets available for Viva/Vivace and Avante/Andante

Please contact our distributors in your region or email us.