Champagne

48 Squadron members and their guests landed in Reims for a visit to Taittinger organised by Charlie Ellingworth and John Gordon. 17 May started with a trip to the magnificent Gothic masterpiece and World Heritage site, Notre Dame de Reims. The next stop was a tour of the Taittinger cellars which formed part of the C13 Saint Nicaise Abbey and included the ancient Roman chalk quarry. After purchasing a huge quantity of champagne to take home, members enjoyed a champagne and buffet lunch at the Chateau de la Marquetterie. This chateau was bought by Pierre Charles Taittinger in 1932 and became the home of his new champagne house, Taittinger. Later that evening members arrived for drinks at the Demeure des Comtes de Champagne, a beautiful medieval building once used during coronation ceremonies for the Kings of France and is one of very few examples of medieval architecture left in Reims. Badly damaged during the Great War it was eventually purchased and restored by Taittinger. During a delicious dinner, and on presentation of each different champagne, our host Pierre Emanuel recounted tales of the famous men and women who had loved to drink it. A smaller number of members continued on Saturday to Verdun where they visited the battlefields of WWI on the hills above the town around a series of forts - the most famous being Douamont.