When my wife and I visited France back in 2009, we stuck close to Paris with the exception of a very memorable, and emotional, day trip to Normandy to see Juno Beach. On this return trip to one of our favourite countries we decided that our day tripping should be all about wine. Having already had an exceptional day touring Burgundy, our second wine-related day took us to the city of Reims in the heart of the Champagne region.

After an early morning high speed train ride from Paris, a quick bus ride and walk took us right to the front gates of our first Champagne house tour at Pommery.

One of the unexpected features of Pommery that made this a great stop was the art both inside and outside their facilities. From an oversized fruit tree on their dramatic front lawn, to a Daniel Firman work depicting an elephant balancing on its trunk inside the chateau, we were engaged and entertained even before our tour began.

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