New kit started!

I started a Cru Select kit today, a limited edition, Argentinean Tannat Merlot. It seems like a nice kit (and I bought it on sale from Austinhomebrew and had free shipping!) but I have to say the instructions are lacking. They are general kit instructions, but the oak package is unmarked and the grape skins are inexplicibly under the juice at the very bottom of the packet. There are also two oak spirals, with no explanation. I googled this kit, and found better instructions on a winemaking site.

Anyway, I forgot to take pictures but I thought I'd update this thread at each step, along with some notes.

The yeast included was Lavlin EC-1118, and the OG was 1.110.

Sounds yummy, yooper! My guess is that the oak packet goes in the primary and the spirals are for bulk aging with your choice of whether you want a heavier or more modestly oaked wine. Though I've never seen spirals with a kit, my experience says that "sawdust" goes in the primary, chips in the secondary, and cubes, beans, oak sticks or spirals are for bulk aging. Good luck. In a year you'll have a wine worthy of serving at a dinner party.