In 1889 a giant barrel was raised from its resting place in the Maison Mercier cellars and transported to the Paris World Fair. The Foudre Mercier held the equivalent of 200,000 bottles (or 800 standard-size barrels) and weighed a hefty 20,000 kilos. Twelve pairs of oxen, helped by a team of 18 horses, were required to haul the barrel from Epernay to Paris where it arrived eight days later. Mercier’s masterpiece of barrel-making won second prize, second only to the Eiffel Tower, and now stands in splendour in the reception area of the Mercier cellars.