All Articles

2012 Articles

2011 Articles

2010 Articles

2008 Articles

Classy Water

27/02/2012 By Peter Brooks

We make no bones about our passion for water here at Office Water Coolers. The wonders of this life giving substance are boundless. Indeed, its unique chemical properties are the reason we are even here at all. But there are some out there that take this passion to a whole new scale. Welcome to the world of the water sommeliers and premium mineral waters.

In much the same way as a sommelier will judge the right wine to go with the right food, a water sommelier will judge the perfect type of water to go with your meal. The decisions he and she will make will depend on the subtlety of flavours on offer and even if you are drinking wine with your meal as well. As finewaters.com’s Michael Mascha states on his website ‘with the growing popularity of bottled water and Mineral Water, the FineWaters Balance provides a scale to define the differences between various bottled waters based on carbonation levels.’ Here is a man who treats his water in the same way that many people treat their wine.

The belief that water, like wine, should perfectly compliment a meal is all part of the epicurean belief in fine dining and is one held strongly by Michael. His FineWaters Balance is a wonderful illustration of this intricate science, a fascinating insight into the subtle nuances of different types of mineral water carbonation and how they complement different types of food. I was fascinated by it and recommend having a read yourself (it really is a science). From still, effervescent and light waters through to classic and bold waters where you can expect ‘large and loud bubbles’, which are ‘perfect with crispy appetizers’ apparently.

Often sold exclusively to fine dining restaurants and upmarket hotels in stylish glass bottles, the premium water market is one which many of us will rarely experience as consumers. Many of the waters are high in mineral content and many more are naturally carbonated, things it seems many people would pay a premium for. Whilst this is a world away from our ethos of affordable excellent quality spring water and water coolers, I for one salute these connoisseurs of fine water.



© 2012 Office Water Coolers

Bookmark and Share


Recent Articles

An Improving Environmental Footprint for the Bottled Water Industry

Consider this; recycling a single large plastic bottle (made from PET) conserves enough energy to light a 60 watt bulb for 6 hours. The National Association for PET Container Resources (NAPCOR) reported that in 2010 1.5 billion pounds of PET was recycled in America.  Recycled PET (rPET) can be made into all sorts of things like car parts, playground equipment, carpet or even clothing. Now consider this; in America (and I daresay the figures are not that dissimilar in the UK) plastic bottles ...
read more

Strong Performance for UK Bottled Water in 2011

Good news for the bottled water industry as it reports a 2.8% increase in sales in 2011 (1.8 billion litres). As an industry that employs two thousand people it is good news in these economically trying times as the UK officially enters a double dip recession. So with unemployment remaining high and when people are cutting back on so much, saving their pennies, why does the bottled water industry grow when compared to 2010. Well it seems there are a lot of other factors at play. UK households ...
read more

Venezuela’s President Announces Price Caps on Bottled Water

Flamboyant Venezuelan president, Hugo Chavez, has started announcing more price caps as part of his government’s Law of Fair Prices, passed back in November 2011. The law was designed to limit what is seen as excessive profiteering on 19 household goods and groceries but is now being expanded as the government announce new prices for different products and it is starting with bottled water and deodorant. The books of over 16,000 companies have been examined by the Venezuelan government so far ...
read more

Polyethylene terephthalate

What is polyethylene terephthalate? Well chances are you’ve encountered it already today if you’ve swigged from a bottle of water or any of a whole range of bottled drinks. Abbreviated to PET, polyethylene terephthalate is probably most associated with the packaging for plastic bottles due to its properties as an excellent and durable barrier material. The thermoplastic polymer is part of the polyester family and can exist in both amorphous (transparent) and as a semicrystalline polymer which ...
read more