Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) carrying malolactic fermentation (MLF) have an important effect on the quality of red wines. The object was to study LAB biodiversity and screen the strains with the high malo-lactic enzyme activites as oenological starter cultures in MLF. A total of 60 LAB strains were isolated from Yueqiannian dry red wine samples in the fermenter (Changli region). On the basis of morphological observation and physiological assays, the coccis (51 strains) and rods (9 strains) were respectively confirmed as Oenococcus and Lactobacillus. 16S rRNA sequence analyses were used to identify C10, J2, J5 and MJ12 strains to species level. The strains were blasted in GenBank, C10, J2, J5 strains were identified as Oenococcus oeni, and MJ12 was identified as Lactobacillus vini. The 30 isolates were grouped into seven different genotypes at 70% similarity by means of randomly amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD), indicating a high genetic diversity of Oenococcus spp. In addition, alcohol and acidic resistance experiments for the strains showed that O. oeni sp. C10 and O. oeni sp. J2 has the capability of growing in wine-like conditions [pH 3.0; ethanol concentration of 14% (v/v)]. Moreover, the two strains could conduct MLF, and malic acid degradation rate was 430.625 mg/(L·day) and 76.994 mg/(L·day), respectively. Therefore, O. oeni sp. C10 and O. oeni sp. J2 can be envisaged as starter cultures for MLF in red wines.