Since childhood, most of us have heard about some water being ‘meetha’ or sweet and some water to be ‘khara’ or raw in taste. We have also known of the immense powers of the waters of the holy Ganga. Now these simple sensibilities about the taste of water have come of age. Still water or sparkling? In fancy restaurants one did come across such questions. However today, many restaurants including Michelin starred ones, offer full ‘water menus’. You can order different waters according to the palate and the plate!

Much like wine tasting, water tasting too has become big business. A new creed of water sommeliers are now growing rapidly. Water sommeliers are experts trained to appreciate the subtle variations in water from different sources. They also taste, identify and collect expensive bottled water. They now meet annually at gatherings like the Fine Water Summit, recently concluded in Atlanta USA or judge or participate in water tasting competitions held in many places across the globe. At the Fine water summit this year more than 1000 bottles of water came from 35 countries

The water sommeliers, trained as such, have learned to appreciate how minerals change the water flavor, how the bubbles in the water indicate its acidity and how silica in the water affects its feel in the mouth. Much like certain wines going with certain meals or times of the day, the water sommeliers can guide on what kind of water to drink, when and where. In the world of water sommeliers, no two waters taste the same. While some water is sourced naturally, retaining mineral compositions, others undergo extensive processing before bottling. There is also the rare and luxury water — from volcanic-filtered glacial water to spring water to rare Japanese artesian water with a price tag of Rs 8,500 a bottle.

The global bottled water market size surpassed USD 302 billion in 2022 and is expected to rise around USD 503.05 billion by 2032, poised to grow at a CAGR of 5.24% from 2023 to 2032. In this backdrop, water sommeliers gain importance as someone who can taste and identify the source and purity of the

water. These days in stores and advertisements around us, we routinely see ‘enhanced’ water being sold. Water purifying machines also claim to produce different kinds of waters – alkaline, kangen etc. Certified water sommeliers have swung into action in India.

Water, the simple H2O is the most precious resource of our planet. It is now on the path of becoming an item of luxury, both in terms of availability and the value that is added by the water tasting industry. The water tasting industry aims to highlight that water as a source of hydration is important; but it is equally important to give value to water and see water in a different way. Some in the arena also point out that water tasting is also a way to talk about how precious, clean water is as climate change threatens access to it.

Water makes up 71% of the Earth and 60% of the human body. What the future holds for this element in our hands is a journey that has only begun.

Published in the Lokmat Times on 22-6-2025