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Mascha shares his water know-how at the "Cook. Eat. Drink. Live." event. Photo: Alexa Weibel.
At the forefront of the water movement is water sommelier Michael Mascha, who is working to "educate people about premium bottled water" in hopes of "taking bottled water to the next level and making it a luxury item" -- a lofty goal, considering the liquid is most often regarded strictly as a commodity. However, after a private water tasting at New York City's Cook. Eat. Drink. Live. convention last weekend with Mascha -- a retired food anthropology professor at USC and self-proclaimed "authority on the art of water tasting" -- there may be more to water than meets the eye.
More on the art of water tasting and 'fine water etiquette' after the jump.
Mascha turned to water in 2002, after his cardiologist warned the then wine lover against further alcohol consumption. He experienced a void: "Suddenly you're a pariah because you don't drink wine."
Water soon become his passion, resulting in his book, "Fine Waters: A Connoisseur's Guide to the World's Most Distinctive Bottled Waters." He describes H20 using terms like "subtle," "bold" and "luscious." And while Slashfood's water enthusiast was skeptical about the differences between 13 different varieties of H20, they were palpable -- subtle, but present.
Though Mascha fears consumers are reluctant to try new territory, he talks about the importance of bottled water etiquette and encourages people to "start enjoying water like you do wine," contending that "water is something special to celebrate, like opening a nice bottle of wine."
Comparing himself to the "Robert Parker for bottled water," Mascha can pair fine water with food, depending largely on the water's mouthfeel. In general, mineral waters can substitute red wine, whereas soft water serves best to replace white wines. Thus, carbonated waters like Portugal's Pedras are similar to bold reds and would pair with red meats, steaks or "things that require water to stand up with them," whereas Hawaiian Springs, a "young," low-mineral drink, would pair with sushi, white poached fish or other subtle and delicate foods.
Water is best enjoyed at room temperature, he says. "The colder the water, the less you see a difference, as the tastebuds on your tongue are basically muted and you don't perceive it." Ironically, he admits to drinking plain tap water when thirsty, saving bottled waters for appreciative consumption.
But to what extreme should this be interpreted? Some waters are even being catered to celebrities or sold at clubs -- in health-conscious Miami, "luxury product" Bling H2O retails for $60 and has limited-edition bottles hand-decorated with Swarovski crystals. When asked how willing he thinks people are to shell out extra money for what's essential a free commodity, Mascha says, "I see a total willingness of people to engage and buy those luxury waters. When they understand that they're buying a totally different product, they're perfectly happy to spend money on it."
In a difficult economy, it seems unlikely that consumers would be willing to spend as much money on a commodity as they would on, say, a bottle of bubbly. Additionally restaurants are "extremely cheap," typically hiking water prices tenfold, a serious deterrent to potential buyers. And with the popularity of eating local, bottled water has received a natural backlash, which charges the drink's containers are wasteful and its carbon footprint due to shipping unnecessary at best.
Although premium bottled waters may indeed be "in transition from commodity to a natural product," it's doubtful people will be forking out $20 bills for them at clubs or bars any time soon.
| Not a penny - filtered tap water is good enough for me. | |
|---|---|
| I could imagine spending a few dollars for carbonated or other fresh waters on occasion. | |
| Absolutely, I could enjoy water like wine. |
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11-13-2009 @5:36PM Sharon said... Topo Chico fizzy water is about as schmancy as I'm likely to get.
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11-13-2009 @9:04PM Unplanned Cooking said... Just what we need -- more plastic bottles in landfills.
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11-13-2009 @11:38PM Barkin said... Penn and Teller -- on their show "Bullsh*t" -- actually did an entire episode on bottled water.
They did a thing where they hired a guy to play the "water sommelier" at a restaurant, and he duped people into buying expensive water. They raved about the "bouquet" and all that, but in the end the audience knew that he was filling the fancy bottles from the hose in the back.
Water is water. This guy should get off his high horse and get a real job.
Sorry... "Water sommelier"? This is pure, unadulterated, crap.
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11-14-2009 @9:58AM Jason said... barkin, water is not just water, at least not for brewers. the subtle differences are important, particularly when you want to make anything - such as beer - using that water.
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11-14-2009 @6:45PM Nick S said... I'm not sure my palate is sensitive enough to get much out of different waters... I can tell the difference between some waters, but usually it's a difference between the very rusty tap water we have in my area of the world and filtered water.
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11-14-2009 @9:28PM Samme said... If you are talking about the waters with a lot of minerals added, carbonation, and other flavorings/additives then I could see buying it like tea or soda. Regular water? Nope.
Especially not if it needs to be shipped a few thousand miles in an individual bottle.
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1-27-2010 @2:21PM Steve said... Try a classic mineral water like Chateldon from France and then a bottle of Lurisia from Italy. Both are really great waters but you'll notice the difference between a water with very high mineralisation (Chateldon) and a light water (Lurisia). Now you're on your way to enjoying and appreciating great waters...
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