A Classic Sports International Special Group Trip! Outstanding pigeon shooting in the vineyards of one of Uruguay's finest wineries, Cerro Chapeu, near the Brazilian border town of Rivera in Northeastern Uruguay.

The Carrau family is famous in the wine industry for producing fine wines since 1752. The family's Cerro Chapeu Winery is comprised of nearly 800 acres with about 100 acres of fine varieties including Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Tannat and Sauvignon Blanc. The winery's problem is that the picazzuro and spot winged pigeons that roost in the forests nearby enjoy these exquisite grapes about as much as wine connoisseurs do. So much, in fact, that they become a formidable plague during the growing season. Group members will stay in special accommodations on the winery grounds designed to house wine buyers from all over the world. They'll enjoy fine meals accompanied by generous samplings of the Carrau Family's world famous wines. And-we hope and believe-exceptional pigeon shooting. But just to be sure our group isn't zigging while the resident pigeon population is zagging, we're basing our trip at Dave Stevenson's Villa Irene located a few hours south of Rivera where the pigeon and dove shooting is predictably good just about all year long.

We'll spend 2 1/2 days shooting at Villa Irene while Dave's scouting team works in the Rivera area to assess and locate the best shooting areas. If Dave's team makes panicky midnight "hurry up" calls that the pigeons are there in great numbers we may leave Villa Irene early. If the shooting looks just average, mediocre or poor we can choose to leave for Rivera on schedule, later or not at all. That is, after all, what exploratory trips are all about. But the backup plan, at Villa Irene, is a good insurance policy against a busted trip in case the pigeon numbers are not up to par farther north.

You'll find Villa Îrene very comfortable with 4 double bedrooms, most with private baths; a spacious den/dining area and excellent food. Dave’s“steak anytime you want it”, fine wines and final night suckling pig menus are executed to perfection by excellent cooks. His guides, equipment, dogs and shooting logistics are also first rate.

Trip Cost: $2,395 Cost includes: 7 nights accommodations, 5-1/2 days of shooting, all meals with fine wines, all ground transfers, airfare from Rivera to Montevideo, overnight and dinner at Regency Suites Hotel, Montevideo tour; lunch at Mercado del Puerto, a fine asado restaurant in Montevideo's market district, and transfers. Not included: International airfare, shells at $10 per box, bird boys at $20 per day, staff tips, optional charter flight to Villa Irene from Montevideo. Please NOTE: Though we strive to post the most current trip costs, prices are subject to change. Please call us at 800-375-5692 for current pricing and best available trip dates.

Cerro Chapeu Estate Winery - Tradition in Wines Since 1752  In 1752, in a fishing village called "ViJasar de Mar”, 15 km. from barcelona in Catabuna, Francisco Carrau Vehlis gave up his profession as a fisherman and started working in the vineyards. His winery, which has been working uninterruptedly for nine generations, crossed the Atlantic in 1930 to Uruguay and it stills carries the name Carrau, related to one of the most successful wine cellars in the country. Today, five of his descendants keep his legacy, one of them sharing his name, Francisco Carrau. They also share their love for their ancestor's land. The connoisseurs say that the Carrau family led a revolution in the wine industry with the introduction of technology which renewed the old production technique and the industrial structure in the country. They were the first to export their products. The Carrau family started its activities in Finland and nowadays their main markets are Canada, Scandinavia, the USA, Germany and England. They currently produce a quarter of all Uruguayan fine wines and export 30% of their production. In 1979, it was the Carrau family who introduced the idea of using the Tannat grapes to make aged red wines. This variety was introduced in Uruguay in 1870 by Pascal Harriague (French Basque) as a hallmark of the region, but it was forgotten until the twentieth century. This variety is now very well known internationally for its unique characteristics. The Carrau vineyards have been carrying out for more than 15 years -together with harvest- a lot of research and development. The aim of this research has been to apply modern techniques without altering the craft process of wine production. A fine example is Cerro Chapeu, where they built the cellars on a slope in order to avoid pumping and work with the minimum manipulation of the grape possible.

Recommended Trip Itinerary: Day One: Arrive Montevideo and transfer to Villa Irene in time for an afternoon shoot. Day Two: Hunting at Villa Irene Day Three: Hunting at Villa Irene Day Four: Morning shoot or transfer to Rivera for afternoon shoot. Day Five: All day hunting at Cerro Chapeu Day Six: All day hunting at Cerro Chapeu Day Seven: Morning shoot or tour of Rivera, transfer to Montevideo via air. Check into Regency Hotel, dinner. Day Eight: Breakfast at the hotel, Lunch at Mercado del Puerto, afternoon city tour before return flight home.

Call 800-375-5692 for best available dates and more details on this special wingshooting adventure. email: classport@aol.com