San Sebastian witnessed a historic event as the FineWaters International Water Tasting Competition TASTE & DESIGN AWARDS 2024, a one-of-a-kind initiative, was conducted for the first time. This prestigious competition, framed at the FineWaters SUMMIT 2024, was overseen by a distinguished six-judge panel of professional and experienced international water sommeliers.

 

Like wine, water deserves attention. Water is not just water. It has terroir, comes from a real place, and has character. Representing the Fine Water Category, FineWaters, and the Fine Water Society developed the blueprint for conducting water tastings, the professional industry standard.

 

110 waters from 37 countries, including South Korea, Vietnam, South Africa, Japan, Australia, and New Zealand, participated in this water-tasting competition, with Spain being represented by 4 waters., including Solán de Cabras as the official partner of this edition of the FineWaters.

SUMMIT.

 

The waters were divided into still, sparkling, and natural carbonated categories, and within each group, further divided by Minerality or TDS, which is the amount of minerals in the water. The amount of minerals gives water taste and allows water to be paired with food, similar to wine. The water sommelier's job is to curate those experiences with water in a restaurant and restaurants need to have a water menu to satisfy the paradigm shift if how water is experienced.

 

At the Award Announcement on Friday, June 26th, at the Basque Culinary Center, gold, silver, and bronze awards were presented in each category.

 

Here is the list of this year's winners:

 

STILL Super Low minerality

Gold: Wossa (Austria)

Silver: Saratoga (USA)

Bronze: Lofoten (Norway)

 

STILL Low Minerality

Gold: Sembrancher (Switzerland)

Gold: La Sasse (France)

 

Silver: Crag (UK)

Silver: Aqua Prestige (Romania)

Silver: Tahoe Artesian (USA)

Silver: Oravida (New Zealand)

 

Bronze: Driftless Fine Water (USA)

 

STILL Medium Minerality

Gold: Pure One (New Zealand)

 

Silver: Balbin (Czech Republic)

Silver: Solan de Cabras (Spain)

 

Bronze: Miocen (Vietnam)

Bronze: Sant Aniol (Spain)

 

STILL High Minerality

Gold: Three Bays (Australia)

Silver: Marizia (Italy)

 

STILL Very High Minerality

Gold: Socosani

 

STILL CURATED

Gold: SaRangHae (South Korea)

Silver: GRS (South Korea)

 

SPARKLING Super Low Minerality

Gold: Wossa (Austria)

Silver: Kuohu (Finland)

 

Bronze: Montarcher (France)

Bronze: Saratoga (USA)

 

SPARKLING Low Minerality

Gold: Zaku (Latvia)

 

Silver: Crag (UK)

Silver: Sembracher (Switzerland)

 

Bronze: Waiakea (USA)

Bronze: Theoni (Greece)

 

SPARKLING Medium Minerality

Gold: Solan de Cabras (Spain)

Gold: Haage (Estonia)

 

Silver: Sant Aniol (Spain)

Bronze: Balbin (Czech Republic)

 

SPARKLING High Minerality

Gold: Marizia (Italy)

Silver: Three Bays (Australia)

 

SPARKLING Very High Minerality

Gold: Socosani (Peru)

Silver: Haanja (Estonia)

 

SPARKLING CURATED

Gold: Nevas (Germany)

 

SPARKLING Naturally Carbonated (Low to High)

Gold: Güitig (Ecuador)

Silver: Orezza (France)

Bronze: Tatranska Chamois (Slovakia)

 

SPARKLING Naturally Carbonated (Very High)

Gold: ROI (Slovenia)

Silver: Vichy Catalan (Spain)

Bronze: Radenska (Slovenia)

 

Design Awards

 

GLASS

Gold: La Sasse (France)

 

Silver: Fromin (Czech Republic)

Silver: ROI (Slovenia)

Silver : Vellamo (Finland)

 

Bronze: Balbin (Czech Republic)

Bronze: Nevas (Germany)

Bronze: Solan de Cabras (Spain)

 

PET

Gold: Fromin (Czech Republic)

 

Silver: Haage (Estonia)

Silver: Haanja (Estonia)

Silver: OSE (Finland)

 

Bronze: Sant Aniol (Spain)

 

ALUMINUM

Gold: Crag (UK)

Silver: Wossa (Austria)

Bronze: Perlage (Poland)

 

TETRA

Gold: Theoni

 

Bag in Box

Gold: OSE (Finland)

 

Silver: Thunderbird (Canada)

Silver: Mountain Falls (South Africa)

 

 

Epicurean Integration of Waters

Under the overarching theme of "Epicurean Integration of Waters," FineWaters SUMMIT 2024 aimed to elevate premium water to the forefront of the Epicurean table. Beyond mere hydration, the conference explored through different dynamics such us talks, conferences and fast pitches the flavor of water, the art of gastrophysics, water and food pairings, water and wine pairings, and other innovative concepts to transform water into an essential tool for creating unforgettable culinary experiences.

 

A Diverse Program

During the one-and-a-half-day conference, the 8th edition of the FineWaters SUMMIT attendees heard enlightening presentations from prominent brands, distributors, water sommeliers, and chefs. The program delved into the rich history and storytelling behind the premium water category, strategic brand positioning, and tackling the global distribution challenges brands face. The event served as a platform for networking and knowledge-sharing among industry leaders and water enthusiasts.

 

As the official partner of Fine Water Summit 2024, it's worth highlighting Solán de Cabras' active participation through a presentation by Michael Tanousis where the brand contributed its knowledge and experience in the sector, emphasizing the importance of natural mineral water on the table. This included a comparison with tap and filtered water and a tasting session showcasing its unique and balanced mineral composition. Additionally, Solán de Cabras has been the official water of the conference and, within the conference framework, today, Monday, the 29th, it will be part of a water tasting session aimed at the most prominent sommeliers of Euskadi.