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Application of cool temperatures were studied to encourage <i>Metschnikowia pulcherrima</i> P01A016 and <i>Meyerozyma guilliermondii</i> P40D002 prior inoculation of <i>Saccharomyces cerevisiae</i> D254 to lower ultimate ethanol concentrations achieved. Merlot grape must was distributed into 300 L temperature-controlled tanks and inoculated with non-<i>Saccharomyces</i> yeasts three days before <i>S. cerevisiae</i>. For control fermentations, <i>S. cerevisiae</i> was inoculated with maximum temperatures set to 25 °C (temperature regime I) while those with <i>Mt. pulcherrima</i> or <i>My. guilliermondii</i> were initially set to 15 °C (temperature regime II) or 17.5 °C (temperature regime III) before increasing to 25 °C after adding <i>S. cerevisiae</i>. Once fermentations achieved dryness (≤2 g/L residual sugar), wines were bottled and stored for six months at 7 °C before sensory analysis. Ethanol reduction by <i>Mt. pulcherrima</i> was not observed in wines fermented under II but was by III (0.8% <i>v/v</i>). In contrast, musts inoculated with <i>My. guilliermondii</i> yielded wines with ethanol concentrations lowered by 0.3% (II) or 0.4% <i>v/v</i> (III). Sensory panelists found wines with <i>Mt. pulcherrima</i> to express lower sensory scores for ‘hotness’, ‘bitterness’, and ‘ethanol’ flavor with fewer differences noted for <i>My. guilliermondii</i>. Reducing final ethanol concentrations of Merlot wines were achieved by <i>Mt. pulcherrima</i> or <i>My. guilliermondii</i> using cooler initial fermentation temperatures without adversely affecting final wine quality.