Camilla Kerslake and Chris Robshaw unlock the secrets of the family-run Bollinger Chateaux

Whizzing home on the Eurostar, I still had the taste of Bollinger La Grand Anne on my tongue and the feel of golden sunshine on my skin.

Two days before, on the way to Champagne I never could have imagined the appreciation I would develop for this smashing, family run house and all the work that goes into their delicious wines.

Joined by artists Sheree Valentine-Danes, Mark Rowbotham, my partner, Chris Robshaw and director of Champagne Bollinger, Victoria Carfantan we descended upon the village of Ay, the capital of the Champagne region.

After a delicious lunch accompanied by a rosè and a special cuvèe, we were whisked around the vineyards.

We learnt that every row ends with a rosebush, as traditionally the thorns helped urge the plough horses on, that bee hives are keep to encourage bio diversity and that because of the chalk below the soil the pino noir vines never need watering!

But enough learning, it was time for supper at the home of a feminist icon, Madame Bollinger.

Lily Bollinger took over the business in 1941. A woman of incredible ingenuity, she proceeded to mark thousands of bottles with poison labels and build false walls within the storage cellars to hide the houses best vintages from the Nazis.

Amazingly these hidden enclaves are still being found today. The most recent was uncovered in 2013 when wines dating back to 1830 were discovered.

We were lucky enough to be shown this hallowed vault but were extremely cautious not to get lost in the 6 killometers of spooky cellars running underneath the estate.

A riddler, charged with hand turning up to 50,000 bottles per day showed us his skill and explained the traditional techniques still employed by the staff to this day.

The average bottle will be handled 15 times before reaching the table, the amount of work is quite staggering.

We emerged from underground into glorious sunshine, just in time for a picnic lunch. We were treated to some of Bollinger's finest vintages and were shown the champagne Princess Diana and Prince Charles had at their wedding.

We were also enlightened as to how to tell if a champagne is of good quality. Small bubbles and strong colour!

We left feeling utterly spoilt and more than a little tiddly. I shall never sip champers in quite the same way again and although I wouldn't say this was where my love of champagne was sparked, the trip most definitely fanned the flames of a life long love affair with this fabulous wine that, in itself, is a work of art.