My first trip to Champagne was in 2008. Working for the snappily titled 'Comité Interprofessional des Vins de Champagne' (CIVC - now re-branded to the Comité Champagne) as their UK outpost, our job was to 'sell the champagne dream' to the UK market - trade, consumer, press. While I started thinking the job was pretty much done on selling that dream, there was the occasional legal challenge in the form of 'champagne' bubble baths, 'champagne' perfumes or sorbets, or my personal favourite 'Cham-panties' - a plastic bottle with a cork, filled with frilly pants, which presumably exploded out when you opened it, shooting knickers into the atmosphere. In 2008 English sparkling wine was still pretty niche at best, with Nyetimber being the only 'well-known' and reputable name, even Prosecco was pretty new on the scene, and not considered a threat to the Champagne behemoth.

I accompanied a press trip of a selection of journalists out to Reims - Eurostar to Paris then a break-neck speed mini bus to Reims (this was before the handy TGV links), to the massive corporate 'Hotel de la Paix' in the town centre. Pre-TGV, we always had the same driver on these trips, and I would be torn between the desire to be in Champagne as quickly as possible, and the wish to stay alive. The hotel is where simply everyone visiting Champagne on business stays. You can spot people with Lanson and Veuve Clicquot tote bags and gift boxes a mile off. We were a motely crew on my first visit. I had never been before, let alone hosted a press trip. The journalists consisted of a mix of a knowledgeable trade writer, a journalist who resembled Ab Fab's Patsy, and a writer who is now a celebrated food and drink journalist with several books to her name.

Luckily the CIVC were excellent hosts, and ferried us between Champagne houses, growers, cooperatives. We visited some growers who I still have a soft spot for today - Tarlant and Chartogne-Taillet. Tarlant were harvesting - such a tricky time of year, but they welcomed us nonetheless, and we were able to taste the freshly pressed juice from the press. I remember marvelling how utterly delicious it was - and now, knowing more what it is like in a winery at harvest time, it felt very kind that they were able to welcome us and spend time with them. Similarly, Alexandre Chartogne-Taillet met us personally, and hand-disgorged a few bottles straight from riddling racks in the cellar, which felt very unique and special for a Champagne novice like me. We also went to two big names. I won't mention who - but you will undoubtedly know them. One of them gave the now-famous-food-writer food poisoning, so she had to constantly run out of dinner to deal with that. I've not read her book, which details 'food adventures in France' for fear that it might detail the episode... The other big house just felt like a conveyer belt, where we were shown three wines, which left us feeling a bit short changed, even Patsy, who had been very excited about the name, darling.

It was a great introduction nonetheless, and the beginning of my Champagne education - I think I can even credit the trade journalist (who's name sadly I can't recall) for recommending I start my WSET qualifications.

Swathes of vines in the Champagne region…

On the journey home, tipsy on the treats for our final pitstop vineyard and to distract ourselves from the return break-neck speed minibus driving, we discussed the many ways in which one could die - accidentally or not - in the world of Champagne. Falling into a vat full of CO2, exploding bottle-related disasters, getting lost in the many kilometres of chalk cellars under Reims only to be found decades later, 'disgorging' someone by dipping them in -20 degrees brine... the opportunities were endless. I believe there is a Midsomer Murders episode set in an English vineyard - but it sadly was not as inventive as we had been with our imaginings.

Midsomer Champagne

Adventures with Champagne Charlie