The Random Amplified Polymorphic DNA-PCR (RAPD-PCR) technique was evaluated for its use in the taxonomic identification of wine yeast strains. Differentiation was established among genera (Saccharomyces, Candida, Pichia, Torulaspora, Hansenula, and Rhodotorula), species (Sacch. cerevisiae, Sacch. exiguus, and Sacch. kluyven) and 12 strains of Sacch. cerevisiae. Four of five strains of Rhodotorula mucilaginosa were also differentiated. The level of polymorphism detected was relatively low, as amplification patterns of genera were quite similar and no single reaction with one primer was enough to separate all of the Saccharomyces cerevisiae strains under study. To get a good differentiation of strains of this species, it was necessary to use the accumulated information of several reactions.